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This handout photo taken on February 26, 2026 and released on February 27 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office (AFP-PAO) shows personnel from BRP Antonio Luna (FF151) waving to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) (back) sailing past during a joint military exercise in the disputed South China Sea.
Handout / Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — International naval drills in the West Philippine Sea serve as recognition of the Philippines' claims in the disputed waters, former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said.
In an interview with ANC on Wednesday, April 1, Carpio said foreign naval operations in the area are grounded in the 2016 arbitral ruling, even as China continues to reject the decision.
"The US conduct naval drills, they conduct naval drills and they point to the arbitral award," Carpio said.
"Because of the arbitral award, China cannot make the 10-dash line as its international boundary. That is the objective of China. But China cannot do that because the US and its allies sail there, invoking the arbitral award," he added.
Carpio said such actions amount to international recognition of the ruling, but fall short of full enforcement.
He cited the Philippines' inability and lack of political will to develop resources in Reed Bank despite the legal victory.
He contrasted the Philippines' position with that of Malaysia and Indonesia, which have continued exploration activities within their exclusive economic zones despite Chinese objections.
According to Carpio, these countries have operated with backing from countries with larger militaries such as the United States and Australia.
"It is not a complete enforcement because we cannot get the gas in Reed Bank because we don't have the political will to send our drill ship there, accompanied by our navy, unlike Malaysia and Indonesia," he said.
"They've (US, Australia) offered that, but we have refused to their offer," he added.
Carpio said the Philippines could secure similar support if it chose to assert its rights more forcefully.
Ongoing tensions, exercises
The Philippines, the United States and other allies regularly conduct joint naval exercises in the West Philippine Sea.
The most recent was the 14th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity held from February 15 to 16, involving the Philippines, the United States and Australia.
On March 26, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Executive Order 111, adopting local names for more than 100 features in the Kalayaan Island Group in the Spratly Islands.
The area remains a flashpoint for maritime tensions, particularly between Chinese and Philippine vessels.
An international tribunal in 2016 invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing continues to assert sovereignty over most of the waters.
