MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / July 16, 2013) – The Philippines said it is pleased that the Arbitral Tribunal is now formally constituted, and that the arbitration process has begun to hear the case brought by Manila against China under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the arbitral proceedings are now officially under way and at a recent meeting, the President and Members of the Tribunal designated The Hague as the seat of the arbitration and the Permanent Court of Arbitration as the Registry for the proceedings.
The Parties had previously been requested to submit their views on these two matters, and the Philippines consented to both.
The DFA said the Arbitral Tribunal approved a draft set of Rules of Procedure to govern the proceedings, and sent it to the Parties for their comments, which were requested by August 5. This request also called for the Parties to propose a schedule for the submission of their written pleadings.
The Philippines and its Counsel are now studying the draft Rules of Procedure, and will submit comments and a proposed schedule for the written pleadings as requested by the Tribunal.
DFA said it will issue statements from time to time to keep the public informed about the progress of the arbitration.
China has encroached inside Philippine territories and many times harassed Filipino sailors and fishermen.
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