THE PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) hopes to discuss the arbitral ruling concerning the South China Sea at the upcoming ASEAN Coast Guard Forum in the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, from June 4 to 6.
Coast Guard District Southeastern Mindanao commander Commodore Rejard Marfe announced the forum’s agenda during a Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum.
Marfe highlighted maritime safety and security, and freedom of navigation, particularly in contested waters, as key discussion points.
He emphasized the forum’s importance in addressing shared maritime concerns faced by Southeast Asian nations in the region.
The forum comes after the Philippines’ 2016 victory in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration case against China’s expansive nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.
He further said that discussions will also focus on tackling transnational crimes within the region’s waterways.
