DIFFERING opinions and viewpoints about the Code of Conduct (CoC) on the South China Sea were discussed and elaborated at the inaugural Ambassador Rodolfo Severino Jr. lecture of the Ateneo de Manila University. Former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario delivered the lecture livestreamed through Zoom, Facebook and YouTube. In his lecture, 'The Code of Conduct on the South China Sea: Is it still worth pursuing?' del Rosario underscored the immense importance of respecting the 2016 ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in approaching any discussion about the CoC. 'What is crucial is the enforcement of the 2016 ruling, to uphold the rule of law,' del Rosario said.

'The Code of Conduct must be a mechanism of enforcing the arbitral tribunal [ruling] and not allow the Code of Conduct to undermine the arbitral ruling.' The former DFA secretary and former ambassador of the Philippines to the United States reiterated the implications of the ruling, which invalidated what he characterized as China's dubious claim of historic rights embodied by its nine-dash line claim. As such, del Rosario said the CoC needs to be a mechanism that enables the enforcement of the arbitral ruling.