July 2021 | International Law Alerts | West Philippine Sea / International Arbitration Law

• Lorenzana says West PH Sea situation stable

The situation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is stable right now as Filipino vessels are able to conduct their patrol without getting in conflict with vessels of other claimant nations.

• Resumption of oil exploration in WPS, gain from Hague ruling

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi said one of the gains of the country from The Hague ruling in 2016 was that the country pursued oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea.

• PCG drives away Chinese Navy ship from Marie Louise Bank in WPS

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol ship has successfully chased away a Chinese Navy warship from the Marie Louise Bank located 147 nautical miles from the shores of El Nido, Palawan.

• WPS disputes can be settled thru ‘diplomacy, not by force’: PRRD

Philippines’ long-standing dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) can only be settled through diplomatic negotiations and “not by force,” President Rodrigo R. Duterte said on Monday.

• Carpio bares infighting of Aquino advisers over China case

Retired Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio lauds the courage of the late former president Benigno Aquino III, who pursued the historic case even as his advisers were ‘bitterly divided’

• 5 years after Hague ruling, China’s presence around PH only growing

The fishermen of Pangasinan see little hope of a challenge to the Chinese vessels that now dictate their movements

• Filipino fisherfolk to Duterte gov’t: Let us fish in our own waters

In an emotionally charged statement on Sunday, July 11, hundreds of Filipino fisherfolk called on the Philippine government to act on the Chinese intrusion in the West Philippine Sea, where thousands of fishers make their living.

• Robredo laments Duterte admin’s ‘cowardice’ in defending West PH Sea vs China

Vice President Leni Robredo says the Philippines allowed its alliances with other countries to erode ‘while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience’

• Human waste, sewage likely from Chinese ships destroying Spratly reefs

Hundreds of lingering ships off the Union Banks in the West Philippine Sea are dumping human waste and sewage into the resource-rich waters of the Spratly Island Group, causing environmental damage that can take decades to reverse, an analyst said on Monday, July 12.

• The Paris Court of Appeal rules over French courts’ jurisdiction to hear a liability claim filed against an arbitrator in relation to an ICC arbitration seated in Paris

In a recent decision issued by the International Commercial Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal, the court quashed a judgment of the Paris First Instance Tribunal which found that it lacked jurisdiction to hear a liability claim filed against the arbitrator, by one of the parties to the arbitration proceeding.

• Brussels Court of First Instance rules that tribunal secretaries can assist in drafting an Arbitral Award so long as the Arbitral Tribunal reviews and corrects their work

In a judgment of 17 June 2020, the Brussels Court of First Instance refused to set aside an ICC award in favour of the European Commission based on allegations that it was partly drafted by a tribunal secretary, ruling there was nothing wrong with the practice so long as the arbitrator(s) review and correct their work.