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Philstar.com
February 4, 2026 | 10:20am
MANILA, Philippines — A Senate debate heated up on Monday, February 3, as Sen. Francis Pangilinan and Sen. Rodante Marcoleta clashed over the legal basis of the Philippines’ claim in the West Philippine Sea.
During plenary deliberations, Marcoleta questioned the validity of the 2016 arbitral ruling, arguing that it lacks clear coordinates or defined boundaries, which he said makes it insufficiently definitive.
Pangilinan pushed back, stressing that the decision of the United Nations arbitral tribunal clearly favored the Philippines.
He said the ruling affirmed the country’s sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone and categorically rejected China’s historic claims in the area.
The Philippines won its arbitration case against China in 2016 under UNCLOS.
