Sa kanyang pang-anim at panghuling State of the Nation Address (SONA) noong Hulyo 26, sinabi ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na ang 2016 arbitral award, na nagpawalang bisa sa malawak na nine-dash-line claim ng China sa South China Sea, ay hindi nagbubuklod sa Beijing. Hindi ito totoo.
In his sixth and final State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 26, President Rodrigo Duterte falsely claimed the 2016 arbitral award, which nullified China’s expansive nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea, does not bind Beijing.
Sa pag uulit-ulit ng kanyang paninindigan na iwasan ang "gulo" sa China, tinawag ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang makasaysayang panalo sa arbitration ng Pilipinas noong 2016 laban sa higante ng Asia sa pagtatalo ng South China Sea bilang "isang piraso lamang ng papel" na kanyang "itatapon sa basurahan,” sa isang televised address noong Mayo 5.
In reiterating his stance on avoiding “trouble” with China, President Rodrigo Duterte called the Philippines’ historic arbitral win in 2016 against the Asian giant on the South China Sea dispute as “just a [piece of] paper” that he would “throw into the wastebasket,” in a televised address on May 5.
Kinontra ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang kanyang top diplomat nang pinanindigan niya ang makasaysayang tagumpay ng Pilipinas sa arbitration laban sa China sa pinagtatalunan sa South China Sea sa kanyang kauna-unahang pagsasalita sa United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) noong Set. 22.
President Rodrigo Duterte contradicted his top diplomat when he affirmed the Philippines’ historic arbitral victory against China on the South China Sea dispute during his debut appearance at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) on Sept. 22.
They believe Manila should instead stick to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Court award last year.
A veteran diplomat and maritime expert said President Duterte has actually been implementing the arbitral ruling in the case against China on the disputed features in the South China Sea by separating the economic from the territorial issues.
