PH Mission in Geneva’s Town Hall Meeting Raises Awareness on West Philippine Sea and 2016 Arbitral Award

Panelists from left: Permanent Representative Carlos D. Sorreta, Atty. Christie Joy Gentiles Bacal-Mayencourt, Ms. Sharee Baguio, Mr. Morse Flores, and Mr. Joseph Sycip (Geneva PM Photo)

GENEVA 20 November 2023 – The Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines conducted a Town Hall Meeting on 12 November 2023 among the Filipino Community in Geneva to raise their awareness and understanding on the West Philippine Sea and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on the South China Sea.

During the panel discussion, Permanent Representative Carlos D. Sorreta highlighted the multipronged approach that the Philippine Government has been taking to promote the 2016 ruling of the PCA and the rules-based international order in the world’s seas and oceans. He also emphasized a reference made to the historic 2016 ruling of the PCA in a recent case on maritime boundaries filed before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), which shows how the 2016 Arbitral Award is shaping international legal discourse. 

The panelists were Filipinos based in Geneva and are connected with different organizations.  They included Atty. Christie Joy Gentiles Bacal-Mayencourt, Ms. Sharee Baguio, Mr. Morse Flores, and Mr. Joseph Sycip.

Members of the Filipino community from the various organizations in Geneva actively participated in the discussion with the panelists, who shared their insights on the presentation on the West Philippine Sea, the claims of the Philippines in the South China Sea, and the elements of the 2016 ruling of the PCA, as presented by the Permanent Mission. 

The activity is part of the continued initiatives of the Philippine Government to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the 2016 ruling of the PCA and the promotion of a rules-based international order. END

Group photo of Town Hall Meeting panelists and participants (Geneva PM Photo)

For more information, visit https://www.genevapm.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.facebook.com/PHinGeneva/ or https://www.instagram.com/phingeneva/.