Latest news with #TessLazaro
GMA Network
15-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Palace says Marcos to continue asserting PH rights in WPS
President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. will continue to assert the Philippines' sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said Tuesday. She was asked to comment on the Chinese Foreign Ministry refusing to recognize the arbitral ruling, which invalidated China's massive territorial claims in the South China Sea. To recall, it was on July 12 that Manila commemorated the ninth year of the said ruling, favoring the country over Beijing. ''Parang nadinig na po natin iyan noong nakaraan pa, na ang sinasabing arbitral award ay isang papel na dapat lamang ibasura. Hindi po ganyan ang paningin at pananaw ng kasalukuyang administrasyon. Nagsalita na po si Secretary Tess Lazaro, nagsalita na rin si Secretary Gibo Teodoro pati na po si Secretary Año,'' Castro said in a briefing. (It seems like we have heard that before, that the so-called arbitral award is a piece of paper that should just be thrown away. That is not the vision and perspective of the current administration. Secretary Tess Lazaro has already spoken, Secretary Gibo Teodoro has also spoken, and Secretary Año.) ''Isang tagumpay po na mapaalam sa buong mundo kung no ang pinaglalaban natin at kung ano ang para sa Pilipinas at para sa taumbayan. Muli, ang Pangulo, hindi isusuko ang soberanya, ang karapatan ng bansa at ng taumbayan kahit kanino pa man,'' she added. (It is a victory to let the whole world know what we are fighting for and what is for the Philippines and the people. Once again, the President will not surrender the sovereignty, the rights of the country and the people to anyone.) The Philippines has said the nine-year-old arbitral ruling served as a guide in peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is ''an illuminating precedent for States facing similarly challenging circumstances in the seas, and the clearest of reminders to the international community that the rule of law can be the great equalizer between and among nations, and serve as the bedrock of peace and stability for the international community.'' On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, Netherlands issued a ruling on the case filed by the Philippines in January 2013. The case hinges on the legal status of reefs, rocks and artificial islands in the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Island group. Manila's 15-point case critically asked the tribunal to rule on the status of China's so-called "nine-dash line", a boundary that is the basis for its 69-year-old claim to roughly 85% of the South China Sea. The Arbitral court ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's 'nine-dash line' claim, which virtually covers the entire South China Sea. China has since ignored the ruling and continues its aggression in the region. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Tess Lazaro takes oath as DFA Secretary
Tess Lazaro has officially taken her oath as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacañang. Lazaro previously served as Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, a role that placed her at the center of regional diplomacy. She headed the Philippine delegation to the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea, a pivotal venue in addressing maritime disputes with China. During her tenure, the Philippines and China reached a 'provisional understanding' on Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), a flashpoint in the West Philippine Sea where the grounded BRP Sierra Madre has been used as a military outpost since 1999. The new Foreign Affairs chief also served as the Philippines' ambassador to Switzerland, France, and Monaco, and as Consul General in Sydney and Madrid. Lazaro succeeds Enrique Manalo, who was reappointed as the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
