In her speech during the Public Panel in the National Symposium on the Law of the Sea and the West Philippine Sea, ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฒ. ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ข ๐๐๐ง๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ง, ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ฅ of the ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐, highlighted a pressing challenge for the Philippines: what happens when legal victories do not lead to actual compliance on the ground? She emphasized that landmark rulingsโsuch as the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration are not endpoints but starting points for sustained diplomacy and engagement. While the decision clearly affirmed the Philippinesโ maritime entitlements, its value ultimately depends on whether states respect and act on it.
Nearly ten years on, the decision remains largely unimplemented, with ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ , in so far as calling it illegal and invalid. Consequently, the Philippines continues to engage in ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฒ and ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ, and aims toward ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ, highlighting that international law depends on statesโ willingness to comply.
