INTERNATIONAL law signifies the essence of the progress of civilization towards a world ruled by principle and not by force.
It took millions of lives, thousands of years and hundreds of wars to achieve such discipline, which deals with global order.
The principles representing international law are based upon universally accepted values and moral standards.
Today, more and more aspects of regional relations are regulated by international legal norms in concerning issues such as security, trade, finance, the environment and communication.
To strengthen and improve international mediation and peacekeeping, states and governments adhere to more comprehensive procedures for monitoring security situation, earlier treatment of disputes and questions of peace and security, and more regular use of regional organizations as part of the overall international system for peacekeeping and peace-making.
In short, throughout the course of its governance, every country needs to have a relationship or interaction with other governments, and every one of these is heavily influenced by international law.
“It is ‘better to jaw, jaw jaw than to war, war, war,’” quoting the late British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Benigno Aquino III said that the Philippines will not start a war with China over a disputed shoal where their ships have engaged in a tense naval standoff for a week.
The President said that the country has two missions: not to let the situation escalate and to protect its sovereignty over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal where Chinese ships are currently employing in illegal activities within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The country pulled out its main warship vessel, BRP (Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas) Gregorio del Pilar, and replaced it with a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel to relieve the tension.
However, The Philippine naval force remains on alert — ready to take on whatever mission will be given by higher authorities.
Meanwhile, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the country is prepared to invite China for the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to peacefully settle the Scarborough Shoal issue.
Del Rosario said the purpose of the exercise would be to ascertain the country that has sovereign rights over the waters surrounding Scarborough Shoal.
The ITLOS is an intergovernmental organization created through the directive of the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, signed at Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Dec. 10, 1982.
It has the power to settle disputes between UN states parties.
“The whole world knows that China has myriad more ships and aircraft than the Philippines. At day’s end, however, we hope to demonstrate that international law would be the great equalizer,” del Rosario said in a statement.
To further quote the late Sir Winston Churchill: “If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another.”
Misconstruction and cross-cultural ignorance are among the main causes of war. While modernization demolishes geographical barriers and move the world towards an amalgamated economy, clashes among cultures can have damaging impact on world peace.
To insure the general peace and to obviate the recourse to force, all parties involved should resort to a friendly settlement of international sea dispute.
In international conflicts such as the Scarborough standoff, multilateralism should be the detente before affected parties turn to belligerent forces.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek April 18-20, 2012 Sec A pg. 6)
