Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza, who defended the country’s maritime claim by filing a case against China when he was the solicitor general, retired on Thursday upon reaching the age of 70.

Jardeleza, along with former solicitor general Florin Hilbay, represented the Philippines in its claim before The Hague Tribunal by filing a Notification and Statement of Claim against China under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.