MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo has joined the country in celebrating the historic victory against China over the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). 

“We are glad to read about the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) regarding the Philippines’ jurisdiction over our exclusive rights in our economic zone,” Robredo said in a statement on Tuesday, July 12. 

A party mate of former president Benigno Aquino III, Robredo congratulated the legal team behind the case filed before the PCA in The Hague, Netherlands. 

“We congratulate our legal team for the time, effort, and hard work they put into this historic case,” she said.  

On January 22, 2013, the government filed a case before the PCA following China’s massive reclamation efforts in the contested waters in 2012. 

China claims virtually all the South China Sea, and has repeatedly said it does not recognize the proceedings in the arbitral tribunal.

The United Nations-backed court favored the Philippines, ruling that China had “no legal basis to claim historic rights to resources” in areas falling within its so-called 9-dash line. – Rappler.com