(UPDATE) SEVENTEEN lawmakers from the House of Representatives have filed a resolution urging the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to bring a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) calling on China to respect the 2016 arbitral ruling and to cease its aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.

”We deemed it proper to file this already because we see tensions have been escalating in the West Philippine Sea, and China has been persistent and relentless in her hostile and aggressive acts in the West Philippine Sea,” Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima told reporters in an interview at the House.

”We know that many countries are with us in this fight because the law, the international law, is with us,” she added.

In 2016, The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that China’s nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea had no legal basis. This ruling stemmed from the case filed by Manila against Beijing in 2013.

Marcos urged to raise WPS resolution at UN, This news data comes from:http://771bg.com

The resolution filed by the lawmakers states that “almost a decade after the Philippines’ victory in the PCA, the People’s Republic of China has failed to respect and comply with the said ruling.”

The resolution also states that “although not legally binding, UNGA resolutions carry significant political weight and serve as expressions of the will and consensus of the international community, with the potential to shape international norms, influence national policies and provide guidance for the work of other UN organs, specialized agencies and regional organizations.”

Besides de Lima, the other signatories of the resolution are Laguna 3rd District Rep. Loreto Amante, Zamboanga del Norte 3rd District Rep. Adrian Michael Amatong, Dinagat Islands Rep. Arlene Bag-ao, Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña, Akbayan Rep. Jose Manuel Tadeo Diokno, Caloocan 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice, Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi, Akbayan Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, Albay 1st District Rep. Cielo Krisel Lagman, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, Zambales 2nd District Rep. Doris Maniquiz, 1Tahanan Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, Malabon Rep. Antolin Oreta III, Bataan 1st District Rep. Antonino Roman III, Oriental Mindoro 2nd District Rep. Alfonso Umali Jr. and Leyte 3rd District Rep. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon.