The ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Maritime Cooperation should be read for what it is: not a replacement for the long-delayed South China Sea Code of Conduct, but ASEAN’s attempt to…
LONG before phrases like “rules-based order” and “freedom of navigation operations,” which are US strategic messaging, dominated headlines, the relationship between the Philippines and China was shaped not by rivalry but…
Once sovereignty over the Kalayaan Group of Islands is properly framed as a question of “title plus effectivités,” rather than EEZ (exclusive economic zone) geometry, the analysis becomes clearer and…
One of the most persistent and damaging errors in public discussion about the Kalayaan Group of Islands (KIG) is the belief that the Philippine claim rests on Exclusive Economic Zone…
Justice Carpio’s sound bite, “UNCLOS already provides the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) limits; no coordinates needed,” as a response or critique against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, is the kind of statement…
FEW phrases in Philippine foreign-policy discourse are as casually invoked and as routinely misunderstood as the so-called PCA ruling. It is repeated in press releases, sound bites and social media…
The Tribunal did not rule on territorial sovereignty over any island, rock, or reef in the South China Sea (SCS). It never did. It never could. And it said so…
The Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship becomes a critical stress test. As a frontline claimant state, can Manila exercise credible regional leadership without turning ASEAN into a vehicle for bilateral grievance?…
In 2025, thankfully, the South China Sea (SCS) dispute did not erupt into open war; nevertheless, it “did not cool down.” It evolved. But that is a dangerously low bar.…
IN 2025, the South China Sea (SCS) dispute had avoided open war, but that is an uncomfortably low benchmark. The conflict did not de-escalate; it evolved into a more dangerous…