Former president Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in 2016, set aside the ruling in exchange for warmer ties with China.
That changed when Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was elected in 2022, insisting he would not let China trample on Manila’s maritime rights.
Since then, diplomatic relations between Manila and Beijing have deteriorated as the Marcos administration pushes back against Chinese actions.
China deploys coast guard and other vessels to patrol waters around reefs claimed by the Philippines.
That includes Second Thomas Shoal, which lies about 200km from the western Philippine island of Palawan and more than 1,000km from China’s nearest major landmass, Hainan island.
The Philippines deliberately grounded a navy ship on the reef in 1999 to assert Manila’s claims to the area.
A handful of Filipino troops stationed on the rusty vessel rely on the regular delivery of provisions for their survival.
Dozens of Filipino activists rallied in Manila on Friday to insist that the West Philippine Sea – the Philippines’ name for the South China Sea waters to its immediate west – “is ours”.
