For today, I will cite and abridge the most important passages of Justice Antonio T. Carpio’s treatise — “The Rule of Law in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)” — for the reader to get a clear picture of where we stand legally versus China’s spurious claims.
“In 1609, Hugo Grotius argued in his classic Mare Liberum (The Free Sea) that the oceans and seas belonged to all mankind and no nation could claim them as its own. After over a century of battle between those who insisted on ownership of the oceans and seas and those who fought for freedom of the oceans and seas for all mankind, Grotius’ idea eventually prevailed and became part of international law, laying the foundation for the law of the sea.