The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is exploring the possibility of filing a resolution with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to address China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). The announcement was made by Nueva Ecija 2nd District Representative Joseph Gilbert Violago during the House plenary budget deliberations.
Violago shared that the DFA is studying the implications of bringing the issue to the UNGA, emphasizing that the decision will be based on necessity and prudence. The DFA believes peaceful talks remain the most effective way to address the territorial dispute, continuing bilateral discussions with China to assert the Philippines’ rights in the WPS.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo is set to represent the Philippines in potential bilateral talks with China at the sidelines of the UNGA this month in New York. These talks aim to de-escalate tensions in the WPS and convey the disapproval of China’s actions not only from the Philippines but from other countries as well.
In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, rejecting China’s claims in the South China Sea. However, China has refused to comply with the ruling, dismissing it as “illegal and invalid.”