Thousands of Filipinos from government agencies, the uniformed services, and civil society organizations gathered at the Quirino Grandstand on July 12 for the National Peace Walk, commemorating the 10th Anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award.
Led by the ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ (NTF-WPS), the event, themed โWalking in Unity, Celebrating a Decade of Victory,โ reaffirmed that defending the Philippinesโ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea is a shared responsibility of every Filipino.
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐๐จ๐ซ๐จ ๐๐ซ. emphasized that protecting the West Philippine Sea means safeguarding the nationโs heritage and securing a better future for generations to come. ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐๐จ ๐.๐. ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ซ. highlighted that the issue directly impacts food security, livelihoods, and regional peace, stressing that upholding international law is essential to lasting stability.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ. called for a whole-of-nation approach, reminding Filipinos that every contributionโno matter how smallโstrengthens the countryโs collective commitment to defending its sovereign rights.
The event concluded with a solidarity pledge, symbolizing the nationโs unwavering commitment to uphold international law, support a rules-based international order, and protect the Philippinesโ maritime rights and interests in the ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐.
