If favorable ITLOS decision is rendered, it will add weight to PHL position on sea dispute --Palace official

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 28): If favorable ITLOS decision is rendered, it will add weight to PHL position on sea dispute --Palace official
 
A Malacanang official said on Friday that if a favorable decision is rendered by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the country's challenge to China's claims over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), it will add weight to the Philippine position.

The Philippine government is filing a memorandum, called Memorial in international law, challenging China's territorial claims over the West Philippine Sea. The Memorial will be filed on Sunday before the Tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Its purpose will be to oppose China’s nine-dash line territorial rule, which dotted line refers to the demarcation line used by China for its claim to the South China Sea.

“...Assuming that a favorable decision is rendered, then that is additional weight for the Philippine position when it comes,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a Palace media briefing.

She said that the tribunal is empowered to pass judgment on the sea claims based on international law, which is upheld by most countries that subscribed to it.

Valte said that for the Philippine government, all factors have been taken into consideration when the discussions were held on the matter of arbitration and the only thing left to do was wait.

“Let’s wait for whatever happens after the filing (of the memorial),” Valte said.

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