May 11, 2026 will always be remembered as the day the venerable institution went down to the pits, something one never imagined in the country’s political history.

For the Philippines, the task is not simply to remember the Award. It is to operationalise it through law, practice, diplomacy, and sustained presence. The real anniversary question is not whether Manila won in 2016, but whether it can convert that victory into enduring maritime resilience, regional leadership, and legal resistance in the face of power.That is the unfinished work of the Award.

Bato Dela Rosa had taken sides in an internal squabble of small-scale miners in the gold-rush Diwalwal in Moncayo, Compostela Valley. Two Moro miners were first abducted, then brought to Laud Quarry in Davao City as Dela Rosa had ordered. His order was to immediately “neutralize” them without the benefit of tactical interrogation.I only have one question to ask readers: would you give the fugitive Bato dela Rosa the benefit of due process now that his warrant of arrest is out?