The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) joined the Filipino people in commemorating the 10th anniversary of the International Arbitral Tribunal decision on July 12.

“It is fitting for the Filipino people to observe this day, as it marks a victory for the country’s claims of maritime rights in its EEZ (properly named as the West Philippine Sea), within the South China Sea, debunking China’s claims of ownership under its so-called 9-dash line,” CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said.

He said the Filipino people have strong grounds to uphold their rights under the arbitral ruling.

“The country must continue to engage China in vigorous diplomacy to explore and pursue all possible mutually acceptable terms of cooperation consistent with the arbitral ruling,” he said.

At the same time, he strongly criticized the Marcos regime which is wasting the arbitral ruling’s potential for peaceful dialogue and practical agreements, by being subservient to US imperial interests.

He said that the US’ exploitation of the arbitral ruling to justify increasing its military presence in the country runs contrary to the interests of the Filipino people.

“On US urging, Japan and other US allies have expressed “support” for the arbitral ruling, to justify sending its own military forces, heightening tensions and making peaceful resolution of disputes more difficult,” he said.

He noted that the ruling is being intentionally misrepresented as having granted territorial rights to the Philippines in the Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) to justify “joint patrols” of US and Philippine coast guard vessels in the area, as well as its continuous build up of naval forces in the South China Sea, and the deployment of troops and missiles in the Philippines.

“All these dangerous moves form part of the malign strategy of US imperialism,” Valbuena said. “The Filipino people must reject US claims of being a friend and ally, when it serves only its imperialist interests of imposing its hegemony and provoking war to assert its supremacy.”