By Sen. Kiko Pangilinan
We, too, value the lessons of World War II — chief among them, that unlawful acts of foreign aggression, no matter how overwhelming in force, ultimately end in failure.
We hope too that we all gain wisdom and learn from China and the Philippine’s own shared painful and unfortunate experience in that war. Eighty years ago, China and the Philippines endured the devastation of occupation. Today, the Philippines faces unlawful aggression on our sovereignty and our Exclusive Economic Zone. And just as history proved then, we Filipinos believe it will prove again — that such aggression will fail.
The postwar international order Ambassador Huang invokes is built on the United Nations Charter, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), and the binding decisions of international tribunals. These were designed to prevent the strong from trampling the rights of the smaller, and to ensure that peace is anchored on justice.
If we are to “safeguard the fruit of victory” in WWII, we must uphold these principles not only in words, but in deeds — by respecting lawful rulings such as the 2016 Arbitral Award on the West Philippine Sea.
True stability between nations is not achieved by might, but by mutual respect for sovereignty, adherence to law, and the courage to honor commitments. Anything less betrays the very lessons that World War II — and history itself — has already taught us.