(23 October 2023, Jakarta) The conduct of the “2016 Arbitral Award Forum: Philippine Island Territories in the West Philippine Sea under International Treaties" in select academic institutions in Jakarta, Indonesia is part of the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta's initiative to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of the Arbitral Award on the South China Sea issued on 12 July 2016 by the International Permanent Court of Arbitration, and to echo the Philippines' advocacy in protecting and promoting its maritime rights and sovereignty under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, delivered a presentation entitled “2016 Arbitral Award Forum: Philippine Island Territories in the West Philippine Sea under International Treaties" at the Bina Nusantara (BINUS) University Anggrek Campus before 400 students and members of the diplomatic corps.
Ambassador Gina Jamoralin, during her opening remarks, expressed her gratitude to Justice Carpio for sharing the results of his latest research to a wider audience, especially benefiting Indonesian students of International Relations. Prof. Tirta Mursitama, Vice Rector of BINUS University Anggrek Campus, delivered the welcome remarks.
The lecture of Justice Carpio is the result of his analysis on old maps of the Philippines, – made during the Spanish and American colonial occupation – the 1734 Murillo Velarde Map, the 1657 Sanson Map, and the 1752 D’Anville Map - which defined the extent of the Philippine territory through the 1898 Treaty of Paris between Spain and the US, the 1900 Treaty of Washington between Spain and the US, and the 1930 Treaty between the US and UK. The official treaties established that the map of the Philippine territory included the Spratlys Islands as early as the Spanish regime in the Philippines since 1521. The lecture further examined the claims of the Philippines’ neighboring states to the Spratlys Islands.
A book entitled “Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea” was published by Justice Carpio in 2017 which collated over 140 lectures and speeches delivered by Justice Antonio Carpio on the South China Sea in various fora in the Philippines and abroad.
The lecture is a joint activity of the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta and BINUS University.
To watch the full video of the presentation, click here. END
