24 September 2015 - To kick start his US speaking tour on the Philippine arbitration case against China on the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea, Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio visited Honolulu, Hawaii from September 17 to 19. Justice Carpio delivered a public lecture entitled, “Developments and Evidence in the Philippine arbitration against China on the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute” at the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law (WSRSL) on September 18.

Around 100 individuals attended the public lecture, including officials from Hawaii government, military officers, members of the consular corps of Hawaii, academe, students, think tanks, media and the Filipino community.

WSRSL Dean Denise Antolini opened the event, emphasizing the significance of the issue not just in the Asia Pacific region, but also in the international community.

During his one-hour presentation, Justice Carpio discussed the merits, evidence and developments in the Philippines’ arbitration case, which seeks, among others, to invalidate China’s nine-dash line map asserting Chinese ownership of the entirety of the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea. He presented developments the arbitration case, pending the Tribunal’s decision. He also took discussed policy implications from China’s massive buildup of land reclamation activities in the disputed area and emphasized the peaceful resolution of the dispute.

Commander Jonathan G. Odom, JAG Corps, US Navy and Military Professor at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), who served as the lecture’s discussant/reactor, offered his insights on the issue and concurred the importance international law-based approach to settling the SCS/WPS dispute.

In the afternoon, Justice Carpio was a guest at ThinkTech Hawaii’s “Asia in Review” segment, a platform for civic engagement via livestreaming talk shows, where he discussed the Philippine arbitration case against China, explaining that its nine-dash line has no basis under international law. He also described the timeline of the arbitration proceedings, stressing his confidence that the decision on jurisdiction will be favorable to the Philippines.

Joining Justice Carpio in the 44-minute interview were Attorney Jay Fidell (segment host). Commander Jonathan Odom and Professor David Cohen, who also provided inputs on the issue.

In the evening, the Philippine Consulate General hosted a reception in honor of Justice Carpio, which was attended by close to 50 guests including Hawaii Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, Vice President of the Hawaii Senate Will Espero, Japanese Consul General Yasushi Misawa, Australian Consul General Jeffrey Robinson, Korean Deputy Consul General Sungsoo Kim, New Zealand Deputy Consul General David Treacher, representatives of US Congressman Mark Takai, former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, officials and law professors from the University of Hawaii, members of the media, various think tanks and the Filipino community.

During the open forum, Justice Carpio encouraged his Filipino audience to educate themselves on the case so they may confidently know and explain the Philippine position on the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea issue. He also suggested that Filipinos make use of social media to promote awareness and common understanding of the issue. END