Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla is urging the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to step up and play a more strategic role in defending the country’s maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In a recent call to action, Lotilla emphasized that the agency’s environmental, scientific, and legal expertise is crucial in reinforcing the Philippines’ 2016 arbitral victory over China.

“These are essential to informing both Filipinos and the international community, protecting our marine environment from destruction, and showing that we are actively defending what is rightfully ours,” Lotilla said.

The 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China’s sweeping claims under its “nine-dash line” and upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its Exclusive Economic Zone. But for Lotilla, the victory is just the beginning.

“This landmark legal win must not be taken for granted — the work is far from over,” he said.

During a symposium he hosted for DENR officials on 23 June, Lotilla was joined by some of the country’s top minds on maritime and environmental law.

Among them was Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a leading voice in the WPS discourse, who laid out historical and legal evidence supporting Philippine ownership of key islands and reefs.