Cabinet meeting called to plan next steps

‘CHEXIT,’ THEY SAY Activists troop to the Chinese Consulate in Makati City to call for China’s exit from the country’s territorial waters shortly after an international arbitration court affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights in theWest Philippine Sea. RICHARD A. REYES

AND NOW, the real work begins.

For the Duterte administration, diplomacy is the name of the game in the aftermath of the favorable UN tribunal ruling upholding Manila’s claims to a part of the South China Sea.

Malacañang called a Cabinet meeting last night and Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said it would wait for Solicitor General Jose Calida’s interpretation of the ruling. Calida will provide President Duterte a synopsis this morning and a complete and thorough interpretation would follow in five days, he said.

Analysts expect some volatility in the stock markets, which could be spooked if Beijing engages in saber-rattling.

In Zambales and Pangasinan provinces, fishermen prepared to return to their traditional fishing zone at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal), ringed by Chinese gunboats.

“We are a bit afraid, but the United Nations is on our side,” said Larry Alaras, 48, a fisherman from Subic. “The question now is, will the Chinese coast guard allow us?”

In Beijing, the Philippine Embassy warned its citizens to beware of personal threats and avoid political debates. It said in an e-mail there might be tensions ahead.

Restraint, sobriety

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the decision by the UN tribunal “upholds international law” and called on Manila and Beijing to “exercise restraint and sobriety.”

“Our experts are studying the award with the care and thoroughness that this significant arbitral outcome deserves,” Yasay said in a statement.

“The Philippines reiterates its abiding commitment to efforts to pursue the peaceful resolution and management of disputes with a view of promoting and enhancing peace and stability in the region,” he said.

Incoming Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said the government would study the ruling thoroughly “so that we can determine our next moves on the issue, particularly with respect to stepping up economic exploration efforts in the South China Sea and maintaining peace and stability in the region.”

He urged China to respect the decision and “adhere to the peaceful settlement of territorial disputes in accordance with international law.” He said the Philippines should be allowed to conduct exploration activities in the area for its benefit.

Alvarez commended the Philippine panel and specifically mentioned Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio for his “rigorous research on the issue and helping the government and our people better understand its nuances and ramifications for the nation  and our foreign policy.”

Saber-rattling

“The market could be spooked if China shows any saber-rattling after the ruling of the international tribunal,” said Michaelangelo Oyson, chief executive of BPI Securities.

But any market pullback that the tension between the Philippines and China may trigger is a buying opportunity, he said.

“I don’t think China has the intention of seriously disturbing the region’s political balance. In the past, when China tried to flex its political muscle with respect to Taiwan, the market drop proved temporary. We have also seen the same market dynamics in the case of South Korea and North Korea,” Oyson said.

‘China get out’

Joey Cuyegkeng, economist at ING Philippines, said the latest development should not unduly create significant sustained volatility.

Carrying a fishing boat with a Philippine flag, more than 100 activists marched to the Chinese Consulate in Makati City, yelling, “Philippine territory is ours, China get out.”

Fisherman Fernando Rayman, who joined the protest, said he hoped the ruling would stop China’s aggressive actions “so that our family can have a better life, we can send our children to school, because now it’s very hard.”

Senators urged China to heed the UN tribunal’s ruling.

Sen. Joel Villanueva called the decision “victory not only for the Philippines, but more importantly for the rule of law.”

“I appeal to China to talk to its neighbors. Anyway we’re a family here,” said Sen. Richard Gordon.

“Wealth sharing is better than the division of wealth and adding suffering to the world … . Traditionally, we have been friends. China had never been hegemonic until now. We’re looking at a different China. It should take a long deep self-reflection,” he added.

Sen. Leila de Lima said, “With this ruling, it is hoped that the present administration will be properly guided in its future actions, especially in its declared bias for bilateral talks, which [have] only proven to be always one-sided in favor of the world power at the other end of the table.”

Rekindled faith

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who once served as a back-channel negotiator for the Philippines, said the ruling was a “vindication of the foreign policy direction of the Aquino administration.”

Justice Carpio said the decision reaffirmed “mankind’s faith in the rule of law in peacefully resolving disputes between States and in rejecting the use or threat of force in resolving such disputes.”

“The ruling also reaffirms Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) as the constitution for the oceans of our planet, a treaty ratified by 167 states, including China and the Philippines. The ruling applies the fundamental law of the sea principle that ‘land dominates the sea,’ that is, any claim to maritime zones must emanate from land and can extend only to the limits prescribed under Unclos. No state can claim almost an entire sea contrary to this fundamental principle and maritime limits.

“The ruling further reaffirms the wisdom of the Philippine Constitution in renouncing war as an instrument of national policy, and in adopting international law as part of the laws of the Philippines. The ruling manifests the faithful compliance by the Philippine Government to the Philippine Constitution, which mandates that the ‘State shall protect the nation’s marine wealth in its … exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.’” With reports from Leila B. Salaverria, Christine O. Avendaño, Gil Cabacungan, Jocelyn R. Uy, Tarra Quismundo, Doris Dumlao-Abadilla; and Allan Macatuno and Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Central Luzon