Limang taon matapos na maipanalo ang karapatan sa West Philippine Sea (WPS) sa Permanent Court of Arbitration sa The Hague, kailangan ng Pilipinas na lalo pang diinan ang pakikipaglaban nito para maging ganap ang tagumpay sa pag-angkin sa naturang lugar.

Ipinahayag ito ni Senador Panfilo Lacson, chairman ng Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, kasabay ng pagsasabing malaki pa ang kailangang gawin ng Pilipinas dahil patuloy pa rin ang presensiya ng Tsina sa lugar.

“Whatever we have done, or have failed to do, and what we must continue to pursue as part of our prerogatives as a law-abiding, democratic, and sovereign nation under this administration – unfortunately – has accrued little to our ‘accumulated advantage’ in the South China Sea and in the context of Philippine-China relations. On the contrary, we may have done very little in stemming the tide of an increasing Chinese footprint into the ASEAN region’s foreign policy, economy, and security,” paliwanag ng mambabatas.

“Thus, let us see this day for what it truly is: Commemorating a hard-won battle, but a victory still incomplete. We must, therefore, press on to complete the victory,” dagdag ni Lacson.

Read in ENGLISH: Lacson: PH Must Push On to Complete the Victory in WPS

Nakamit ng Pilipinas ang makasaysayang panalo laban sa Tsina sa nabanggit na arbitration case noong Hulyo 12, 2016, makaraang magpasya ang Tribunal na ang iginigiit ng huli na “nine-dash line” ay walang batayan sa mga umiiral na batas.

Ayon kay Lacson, kailangan pang mabuo ng Pilipinas ang komprehensibo at maka-Pilipino na polisiya limang taon makaraan ang panalo laban sa Tsina.

“Our country needs a foreign policy that is neither pro-China or pro-US. It must only be pro-Filipino. We need a foreign policy that unites us as Filipinos, not divides us into red and yellow,” paliwanag ni Lacson.

Muli ring ipinananawagan ni Lacson ang pangangailangan na magkaroon ng balanseng presensiya ng mga puwersa sa South China Sea region, sa pamamagitan ng malakas na pakikipag-ugnayan ng Pilipinas sa mga kaalyadong bansa na kinabibilangan ng Amerika, Australia, Japan at ilang bansa sa Europa.

“No doubt, we are committed to a peaceful South China Sea, where nations follow the rule of law and are guided by the Award. But what we face now is the threat of a resurgent China pursuing its own ‘China dream’ under Xi Jinping – at the expense of our sovereign rights and patrimony in the South China Sea and other areas,” ayon kay Lacson.

“It is wrong to assume that there are only two ways to secure the West Philippine Sea — war or silence. Between war and timidity, there is the Arbitral Ruling. Let us stop snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. An opportunity exists to work with other countries, especially those in the ASEAN region, to find a way for us to effectively invoke the verdict we won in The Hague,” pahabol ng senador.

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