The Standard - 2015 October 31 - Saturday

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VOL. XXIX  NO. 261  3 Sections 32 Pages P18  SATURDAY : OCTOBER 31, 2015  www.thestandard.com.ph  editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Duterte tells party: Nothing changed

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ROUND 1 TO MANILA United Nations asserts jurisdiction over PH case against China

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Philippines won the first round of its legal battle against China after the arbitration tribunal in The Hague declared that it had jurisdiction over the case.

In its Oct. 29 ruling, the Permanent Court of Arbitration unanimously resolved the issue of jurisdiction over the case in favor of the Philippines, as it rejected China’s stand invoking its sovereignty. The Philippines welcomed the PCA ruling and immediately made preparations for the hearing of the case on its merits before the international tribunal.

Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, who represented the country before the PCA in July, said the tribunal’s ruling was a favorable action as it upheld the Philippines’ position on the issues of jurisdiction and admissibility. “The decision represents a significant step forward in the Philippines’ quest for a peaceful, impartial resolution of the disputes between the parties and the clarification of their rights under UNCLOS

[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas],” Hilbay said in a statement. “The elimination of preliminary objections to the exercise of the tribunal’s jurisdiction opens the way for the presentation of the merits of the Philippines’ substantive claims,” Hilbay added. The chief state lawyer believed that because of the ruling, the PCA would now proceed to Next page hear the case based on merits.

In memoriam. A man walks past the flags at the People Power Monument on Edsa on Friday, which are intended to commemorate the fallen SAF 44 on All Saints’ Day. JANSEN ROMERO

Grace asks Martin: Why only now? By Macon Araneta PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Grace Poe admitted she was disappointed that Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez was not included in her senatorial slate. In an interview after announcing her slate in the Partido

Galing at Puso or Team GP, Poe said she had not known of Romualdez when they were completing her senatorial lineup, but when she heard him speak, she found the three-term congressman “very intelligent.” “Sayang lang nga [It’s too bad],” she said. “I wanted to say

Bakit ngayon ka lang? (Why did we meet only now?)” She noted that Romualdez has been fighting for many of the things she too wanted, especially help for his constituents in Eastern Visayas who were devastated by Super Typhoon “Yolanda.” Next page

New PDAF case filed against Aquino

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