Wow, Only Took Nine Years: PH “Celebrates” Arbitral Win While China Does Laps in West Philippine Sea

On July 11, 2025, the Stratbase Institute and the Australian Embassy will host a forum marking the ninth anniversary of the Philippines’ historic legal victory against China’s sweeping maritime claims—because what better way to celebrate a win that’s been ignored for nearly a decade than a conference at the Manila Polo Club?

The event, dubbed “9th Year of the Arbitral Victory: Defending the Rules-Based Order through Reinforced Defense Capabilities and Partnerships,” will bring together Philippine and international defense experts, diplomats, and policy leaders to talk strategy—while 260 Chinese vessels continue their leisurely cruise around disputed Philippine waters.

The 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration was supposed to be a game-changer, legally invalidating China’s expansive nine-dash line claims in the South China Sea.

Yet nearly a decade later, the only thing more persistent than China’s ships are the Philippines’ strongly worded statements and calls for “multilateral cooperation.”

“This is not simply a legal commemoration,” said Stratbase Institute President Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit. “This is a reaffirmation of our sovereign rights and our commitment to the rule of law.”

One might argue that reaffirmations have become our new national pastime.

Manhit stressed the need to honor the men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, noting they “do not stand alone”—which, technically, is true, if you count the diplomatic roundtables and international condemnation that has yet to stop a single gray vessel.

He insisted this is “a test of whether international law still matters.”

Spoiler alert: So far, not really.

The conference pays tribute to the late Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, a central figure in filing the arbitration case against China, who once said that international law is “the great equalizer.”

That is, of course, if equalizers worked without enforcement mechanisms.

In his previous speeches, Del Rosario emphasized that through the rule of law, even smaller nations could hold larger powers accountable—a noble sentiment that continues to age like uncollected trophies.

The day-long conference will feature discussions on regional security, defense modernization, maritime cooperation, and the vital need to keep the 2016 Arbitral Award from turning into a mere footnote in international legal history.

“This is a defining moment for Philippine foreign and security policy,” Manhit said, again, as if this hasn’t been said every year since 2016.

He emphasized that staying silent amid Chinese aggression isn’t neutrality—it’s negligence.

One could argue that some of the nation’s top officials are auditioning for the role of “Passive Spectator No. 1.”

Manhit called for “moral clarity and political courage” from Filipino leaders, lamenting how some government officials appear more interested in echoing Beijing’s narratives than defending Filipino fishermen from water cannons.

He added that the dedication shown by military and civilian defenders in the West Philippine Sea should at least be matched by the same level of resolve in policy circles.

Instead, the only thing rising faster than tensions is the collective blood pressure of those who still believe international law will eventually do its job.

The forum aims to reinforce partnerships with like-minded countries and amplify calls for a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific, which sounds promising—until you remember that the rules are only as strong as the will to enforce them.

As it stands, the Philippines’ biggest weapon remains its conferences—and possibly sarcasm, since diplomacy hasn’t stopped China’s maritime parade in the slightest.

Still, international forums like these offer a flicker of hope—if not for immediate change, then at least for a public reminder that the country hasn’t entirely forgotten how to be indignant.