Environment Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla recently called on officials at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to adopt a more assertive and strategic posture in defending the Philippines’ maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.
During a DENR symposium, Lotilla emphasized the agency’s critical role in reinforcing the landmark 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling through scientific data, environmental reports, and legal-environmental strategies.
“These are essential to informing both Filipinos and the international community, protecting our marine environment from destruction, and showing that we are actively defending what is rightfully ours,” he said.
He added that while the arbitration invalidated China’s so-called nine-dash line and affirmed Philippine sovereign rights, “This landmark legal victory must not be taken for granted — the work is far from over” .
Senior Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, speaking at the same event, presented historical and legal evidence affirming Philippine ownership of key islands and reefs in the WPS. He urged the government to build a unified narrative to counter disinformation, backed by the legal and environmental research DENR can help provide.
Freddie Ganton, senior state counsel at the Department of Justice, highlighted how the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes law codify the 2016 ruling into domestic legislation, institutionalizing the term “West Philippine Sea” and solidifying the legal basis for asserting jurisdiction over Philippine waters.
Marine geologist Dr. Fernando P. Siringan, former director of the UP Marine Science Institute, underscored the need for greater investment in habitat mapping, ecological monitoring, and coordinated research to generate data that reinforce the arbitral ruling and support long-term marine protection.
Lotilla pledged to mobilize DENR’s environmental, legal, and scientific capabilities, directing the agency to strengthen interagency coordination, publish marine environmental reports and launch grassroots awareness campaigns.
“The DENR is not just a steward of forests and rivers,” he declared. “We are frontliners in protecting what is ours — from ridge to reef, and across our rightful seas,” the secretary said.
