Now What?
A Decade After The Hague Victory… Now What?
Nearly 10 years after the Philippines won its landmark case against China in The Hague, Filipino fishermen are still being blocked from Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, and Manila still hasn’t filed a damages case despite the ruling clearly recognizing Filipino fishing rights there.
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio has long argued that the 2016 UNCLOS ruling already established China violated international law by preventing Filipino fishermen from accessing their traditional fishing grounds. His question, if we already won legally, why haven’t we demanded compensation?
The ruling also struck down China’s “nine-dash line” claim and confirmed that resource-rich areas like Recto Bank are within the Philippines’ EEZ. Yet nearly a decade later, Chinese vessels still dominate Panatag, drilling in Recto remains stalled, and the ruling is often described as a “paper victory.”
Critics say successive Philippine administrations prioritized diplomacy and avoided another legal confrontation with Beijing, even as harassment incidents continue in the West Philippine Sea.