THE Philippine government has filed a 4,000-page memorandum on its claims on the West Philippine Sea before an international court.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma announced, “Today the government formally filed a memorandum at the arbitral tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

Coloma explained that the memorandum or memorial – in the language of international law – contains the legal basis and other arguments on the country’s claim on parts of the West Philippines Sea.

The Philippines was ordered by the ITLOS to submit its memorial on or before March 30, 2014 after it filed a case in 2013 against China.

China’s claims over the strategically important South China Sea overlap those of the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Read more: http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/opinion/challenging-china-unclos