Del Prado, Jonathan Paul April 8, 2019

Fajardo, Quiann Gabrielle 12-Newton

Fernandez, Joshua Carlo

The Issue of Philippines’ Rights over the Disputed Portions of

the West Philippine Sea

1. Introduction
___A. The dispute about the Philippines’ case over the West Philippine Sea (South
China Sea) has been a major issue for the past years.
___B. We face a question: is there really no power on earth that could enforce Philippine
victory against China over South China Sea?
___C. Our Government vowed to continue asserting the country’s sovereignty over the
rights in the West Philippine Sea.

2. Counter/Opposing Argument
___A. The 9-dash line is China's demarcation to claim virtually the entire South China
Sea.
___B. China says this is based on its "historical rights."
___C. The so-called 9-dash line has no basis whatsoever under international law insofar
as it purports to define the limits of China’s claim to 'historic rights.’

3. Your Argument - 3 Points of Attack, try to make your points directly refute the counter
argument points when possible.
___A. There is no such thing as 9-dash line.
_____1. The Republic of China uses the 9-dash line rule as an excuse to continue in
exploiting our country’s natural aquatic resources.
_____2. The Philippines, however, asserts that the 9-dash line is baseless under
UNCLOS.
___B. China has breached the Convention by interfering with the Philippines’ exercise of
its sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
_____1. China not only abuses the right to fish in West Philippine Sea but also appears
as a threat to Filipino fishermen.
_____2. China prevents Filipinos from fishing in the West Philippine Sea. UNCLOS, on
the other hand, gives Filipinos the exclusive rights to fish within the Philippines'
EEZ in the disputed waters.

___C. China has irreversibly damaged the regional marine environment, in breach of
UNCLOS, by its destruction of coral reefs in the South China Sea.
_____1. China’s abuse over our aquatic resources should be prevented as soon as
possible because it made a large loss in our economic benefits.
_____2. China is building artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines
says China's reclamation activities have buried 311 hectares of coral reefs –
around 7 times the size of Vatican City.

4. Conclusion
___A. The Republic of China claims sovereignity over the West Philippine Sea while the
Philippines fight to ensure victory over the said territory.
___B. China has been breaking a lot of of rules under the UNCLOS and the Convention
while they continue to abuse the resources which are rightfully ours.
____C. The dispute could be solved by the withdrawal of Chinese fishermen in our seas.
The government of the Philippines also stated that the case at The Hague is set to
provide a long-term solution to the sea dispute.