WATCH: Forum on the 7th anniversary of the Philippines’ Arbitral Award

MANILA, Philippines – Seven years after a historic ruling at the Hague, how is Manila defending its hard-fought win?

On Wednesday, July 12, on the anniversary of the award, the Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute hosts a town hall session featuring government officials, top diplomats assigned to Manila, and policy experts for an in-person discussion on the value of the arbitral tribunal’s ruling. 

The first part of the town hall is co-organized by the Australian Embassy in the Philippines and features the ambassadors of Australia, Japan, the European Union, France, the United Kingdom, and India. Experts in policy and diplomacy will also be speaking in the morning. 

The afternoon session, supported by the US Embassy in the Philippines, features discussions on US-Philippine relations, the Philippine military, and includes a talk by former Supreme Court senior associate Justice Antonio Carpio. 

Watch the roundtables and discussions here. 

MORNING SESSION: Maritime Security Cooperation in the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific 

H.E. Hae Kyong (HK) Yu PSM

Ambassador, Australian Embassy in the Philippines

H.E. Koshikawa Kazuhiko

Ambassador, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines

H.E. Luc Véron

Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines

H.E. Laure Beaufils

Ambassador, British Embassy in the Philippines

H.E. Shambhu Kumaran

Ambassador, Embassy of India in the Philippines

Dr. Ronald Holmes 

President, Pulse Asia Research, Inc., Full Professor, Department of Political Science and Development Studies, De La Salle University – Manila

Amb. Scot Marciel

Former US Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia, former US Ambassador to Indonesia Senior Advisor, BowerGroupAsia

Dr. Wongi Choe

Professor and Head, Center for ASEAN–India Studies, Korea National Diplomatic Academy

Mr. Sotaro Ozaki

Director of Research Coordination, Japan Institute of International  Affairs

Dr. Evan Laksmana

Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia Military Modernisation, International Institute for Strategic Studies

Hon. Ma. Theresa Lazaro

Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs

AFTERNOON SESSION: Strengthening Alliances and Strategic Partnerships to Defend the Rules-Based International Order 

H.E. MaryKay Carlson

Ambassador, US Embassy in the Philippines

Col. Raymond Powell, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)

Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation (Project Myoushu), Stanford University, California, USA

Dr. Lowell Bautista

Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Wollongong, Australia

Justice Antonio Carpio

Former Senior Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the Philippines

Dr. Raul Pangalangan

Trustee, Stratbase ADR Institute; Former Dean, University of the Philippines College of Law; Former Director of Studies, The Hague Academy of International Law

Amb. Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez 

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S.

– Rappler.com