Take action over our sovereign rights
The speech of President Rodrigo Duterte during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly was hailed when he said, “The Philippines affirms commitment in the South China in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas and the 2016 arbitral award,” which was issued by the Hague, the Netherlands-based international arbitral court.
The talk should not end here. We need to move forward. The ruling validates the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its economic zone in the West Philippine Sea so we must act now to intensify our presence in these areas. An action plan must be formulated and implemented.
The 2021 national budget is now being deliberated in Congress and substantial funding should be earmarked for the development and security of the resource-rich territories which are legally ours.
Technological and financial assistance could also be tapped from countries like the United States, France, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia that have come in support of the award. — PERCIVAL B. ALIPIT, Baguio City