On 12 July 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) issued a landmark award in The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China. The tribunal held that China’s claims to historic rights within the “nine-dash line” had no lawful effect beyond entitlements available under UNCLOS, and it found multiple Chinese actions unlawful vis-à-vis the Philippines’ rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The West Philippine Sea is more than a body of water; it is an inheritance that defines the Filipino relationship with the natural world. Its biodiversity represents millions of years of evolutionary history concentrated within Philippine waters, a patrimony that belongs to the nation and to future generations. The economic value it generates sustains millions of families, while its ecological functions protect coastlines and regulate climate.