No need to be grateful

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Saturday said that there is no need to thank the western countries in supporting the Philippines in its arbitral award on the ownership of the South China Sea.

“Europe joined other Western Johnnies Come Lately in upholding the Arbitral Award. Should we be grateful? No,” he wrote on Twitter.

Lcosin said that the award is warranted as part of the International law and was a victory achieved solely by the Philippines.

“The Award needs nothing more from anyone; it is International Law. If we had depended on anyone but ourselves alone we’d have been sold out. The Award was a solo victory,” he added.

This came after retired Supreme Court

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that Filipinos should be thankful for their support, especially in rejecting China’s historical claims.

“The FIlipino people should be deeply thankful to these countries for supporting the arbitral award and ensuring that the rule of law will prevail in the oceans and seas of our planet,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Earlier, United Kingdom, France, and Germany expressed their rejection to China’s expansive claim over the disputed sea stating that it does not adhere to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

In a note verbale, they emphasized that there will be no changes to the mandated international law even with various land building activities or artificial transformation done within the vicinity of the area.