Hindi Ito Marites: 10 years of the Arbitral Award on the South China Sea

China-friendly Rodrigo Duterte dropped the ball, but the Philippines is now capitalizing on the decade-old ruling

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines did not strike while the iron was hot: During his presidency, Rodrigo Duterte sat on the monumental Arbitral Award that affirmed the country’s sovereign rights in the South China Sea. He called it a “mere piece of paper” that he’d “toss into the trash can.” Meanwhile, Chinese government vessels had their way in the strategic and resource-rich waters.

But that was in 2016 and the succeeding six years. It’s been a full 10 years since the award was issued, and the times have changed. Rappler editor-at-large Marites Vitug tells us how the now decade-old landmark ruling is helping the Philippines hedge its bets in maritime security. – Rappler.com

Writer, presenter: Marites Vitug
Videographer, video editor: Franz Lawrence de Castro
Producer: JC Gotinga
Supervising producer: Beth Frondoso