Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the Diplomatic Reception for the 10th Anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award

Thank you very much to our Foreign Affairs Secretary Tess Lazaro. [Please take your seats.]

The Senate President, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, and the legislators who are here present; of course, the Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps, thank you all very much for joining us here this evening; the members of the Cabinet; members of the judiciary and the legal profession; our local and international partners and stakeholders; my fellow workers in government; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

Good evening.

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all tonight.

As we mark the conclusion of today’s landmark commemorative conference, we gather not merely to celebrate a legal milestone, but to reaffirm a living truth that peace can only endure when it is anchored on justice, mutual respect, and the sovereign equality of all nations.

Thirteen years ago, when the Philippines initiated these arbitration proceedings, we stood before the world to assert a timeless, universal principle that disputes between nations must be resolved not through coercion, not through the threat or use of force, but through peaceful means and the rule of law.

In making that historic decision in 2013, which culminated in the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award, our nation chose dialogue over confrontation, law over intimidation, and peace over conflict.

We did so because we possessed an unwavering faith in a rules-based international order.

For the rule of law is a great equalizer of all nations.
It ensures that right is not defined by might, that justice is never dictated by the relative size of a nation’s territory, military or economic power.

It is the very framework that allows sovereign states to interact as equals, ensuring that treaties freely entered into must be fully respected, faithfully interpreted, and consistently applied.

But let us not forget, the 2016 Arbitral Award is not just an abstract triumph of jurisprudence. It has a profound and deeply human dimension.

At its heart, this award is about people. It is about our fisherfolk whose ancestors have cast their nets in these waters for many generations, and who deserve to fish in peace, in safety, and with the dignity to feed their own families.

It is about our coastal communities whose survival is tied to the health and ecological integrity of our oceans.

When we defend the rule of law, we are not merely defending lines on a map. We are defending the lives, the livelihoods, and the future of our peoples.

The law exists ultimately to protect the vulnerable, to shield human dignity from the whims of raw power.

Yet the significance of this award extends well beyond our own coastlines.

Over the past decade, it has become an indispensable reference in understanding the application of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – the very constitution of our oceans.

It has strengthened global confidence in international tribunals and reinforced the bedrock principle of pacta sunt servanda, the sacred rule that agreements must be kept.

From resolving maritime boundaries to addressing modern challenges like marine environmental protection and biodiversity conservation, adherence to international law has proven to be non-negotiable, irreplaceable, non-optional.

For the Philippines, our path forward remains clear and absolute.

We remain steadfastly committed to the United Nations Charter and to UNCLOS.

For our pursuit of peace is not passive. It requires the courage to defend what is right, to uphold our international commitments, and to engage constructively with all who seek mutual respect and shared prosperity.

We hold a simple but unwavering conviction. The South China Sea must never be an arena of conflict. It must remain a sea of peace, cooperation, and connectivity. A body of water that sustains livelihoods, fosters trade, protects marine biodiversity, and unites rather than divides our nations.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the legacy of the 2016 Arbitral Award is still unfolding.

The responsibility to build upon this foundation now belongs to all of us, to governments, to diplomats, everyday citizens who believe that peace is best secure through the rule of law.

To our friends and partners from around the world, thank you for standing with the Philippines in defense of a rules- based order.

Let the next decade be defined not by what international law prevents, but by what we can collectively achieve when we honor its promise to protect the vulnerable, to safeguard our oceans, and to secure a stable, peaceful world.

Thank you.

Maraming salamat. Mabuhay tayong lahat.

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