Chief of Mission Class II Noel Novicio, Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, USA.
SENATOR Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa asks a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official if the government has a better option to resolve the problem at the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
During Wednesday’s meeting, May 15, 2024, of the Commission on Appointments’ Committee on Foreign Affairs, Dela Rosa asked Chief of Mission Class II Noel Novicio, Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York, USA to share his views on how to resolve the WPS issue.
“Do we still have an option regarding the West Philippine Sea dispute? If ever there is, can you share it to the committee?” Dela Rosa said while deliberating on the ad interim appointment of Novicio.
“We have done everything. Do we still have an option other than what we have done? Do you have any idea that we can use so that somehow we can see a glimmer of hope when it comes to our situation in the West Philippine Sea,” the senator further asked.
In response, Novicio said diplomacy should always be an option regarding the West Philippine Sea issue. “We have the 2016 arbitral award as a foundation of any diplomatic initiative that we undertake with all the claimants in the West Philippine Sea. Diplomacy should be at the table always. It is better to have thousand days of negotiation than a single day of war,” Novicio said. Nelson Ortiz
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