Manila is preparing for a potential second legal case against Beijing over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The reported move follows years of regional friction stemming from an earlier tribunal ruling issued a decade ago.
Rommel Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, revealed the ongoing preparations on Saturday during a symposium in Sanya, located in China’s Hainan Province, as cited by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). As of now, the Philippine government has issued no official announcement confirming the legal steps.
Any formal legal action requires authorization from the highest office in the Philippines. “The president must give the green signal to do such a thing,” Banlaoi said at the Sanya event, adding that Manila is likely to hold off for the immediate future while documentation is gathered, per the SCMP report.
The potential second case would likely target environmental destruction, economic losses, and alleged violations of sovereign rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Banlaoi stated that authorities are currently preserving evidence to support these claims.
Chinese experts have characterized the reported legal preparations as unfounded claims and an information warfare campaign. Speaking to the Global Times, Yang Xiao—a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute for Peace and Development—explained that the primary focus of the effort is generating public attention rather than working out maritime disagreements in earnest.
The National Institute for South China Sea Studies’ World Navy Research Center director, Chen Xiangmiao, pointed out that Manila relies on legal procedures as a diplomatic instrument to influence public opinion. By contrast, previous proponents such as retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio argued in 2024 that the Philippines ought to pursue a new arbitration proceeding, according to reports by Philstar.com.
The discussions coincide with the 10th anniversary of the initial South China Sea arbitration award. China’s Foreign Ministry reiterated its position in a July 12 statement that the arbitration award is illegal, null, and void, arguing that it violates state consent and has merely served as a pretext for external intervention.
Manila weighs second South China Sea legal case against Beijing: analyst https://t.co/hjTLAeAkJT
Chinese analysts warn that pursuing a second arbitration case will only deepen regional instability. Yang stated that the past decade demonstrates how unilateral legal approaches fail to bring peace or prosperity to the region.
Rommel Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, disclosed the preparations during a symposium in Sanya, Hainan Province, according to reporting by the South China Morning Post.
According to the security analyst, the potential filing could involve seeking compensation for environmental destruction and economic losses, alongside alleged breaches of sovereign rights under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
No official announcement has been released by the Philippine government regarding the confirmed details of the matter, and analysts note that any such move would require the approval of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
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