MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines’ only recourse in the territorial dispute with China is to appeal to world opinion even if the country has already taken the issue to an arbitral tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), a senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court said.
Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, speaking before the law graduates at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, said that even if the Philippines wins its case, there is difficulty in enforcing such ruling citing a “black hole” in international rule of law “where there is a law but there is no justice.”