The Philippines will continue to challenge claims and actions in the West Philippine Sea through international law and sustained diplomacy, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said Wednesday.
Lazaro said Manila’s position is anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which she described as established legal foundations for the country’s position in the disputed waters.
“These legal instruments are not bargaining chips; they are settled international law,” Lazaro said during the two day Center for Strategic and International Studies Manila Strategy Forum 2026 in Parañaque City.
She said the Philippines does not seek confrontation or escalation but will not give in to coercion.
“Our principled source remains clear and consistent: right is might. We seek neither confrontation nor escalation, but we will not succumb to coercion,” Lazaro said.
At the same time, Lazaro said Manila remains willing to engage China through constructive dialogue when discussions are based on mutual benefit and sovereign equality.
She said the Philippines, however, will remain firm in protecting its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
Her remarks came as Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. again criticized China’s continued rejection of the 2016 Arbitral Award during a defense forum in South Korea this week.
Teodoro received a note containing China’s position on the South China Sea while answering a question at the event.
South Korea based Yonhap News Agency, citing the forum organizer, reported that the note came from a military attaché at the Chinese Embassy in South Korea.
The Philippines has consistently invoked the 2016 Arbitral Award and UNCLOS in asserting its maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea, while China has rejected the arbitral ruling.
Photo courtesy of PhilStar
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