The 2016 arbitral ruling remains a landmark legal victory for the Philippines and should be commemorated every year, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines-West Philippine Sea (AFP-WPS) spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Ret./Res.).

Speaking at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon press briefing on Wednesday, Trinidad said the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration affirmed the Philippines' maritime entitlements and invalidated China's sweeping "nine-dash line" claim over the South China Sea.

"The ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016 affirms na yung ating maritime domain, yung ating entitlement ay para sa Pilipinas. It debunked the imaginary nine-dash claim of the Chinese Communist Party," Trinidad said.

He described the decision, which marks its 10th anniversary on 12 July, as a milestone in international jurisprudence.

"It's a landmark decision. Ibig sabihin, this will go down in the annals of history in jurisprudence as a legal victory for the country. Importante ito sapagkat this debunked the nine-dash claim of the Chinese Communist Party. It is important that this will be celebrated, commemorated every year. Mahalaga ito sapagkat this is a legal victory for the country," he added.

The ruling, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration on 12 July 2016, invalidated China's expansive maritime claims under the so-called nine-dash line. While the award is final and legally binding under international law, China has rejected the decision and continues to challenge Philippine operations in the West Philippine Sea.

Trinidad said the AFP will continue monitoring Chinese activities in the country's maritime domain and report developments to both the Filipino public and the international community.

"We have that capability to monitor what is out there. Ito ay magandang senyales sapagkat in the past nahihirapan tayo mag-monitor, lalo na sa ganong kalawak at kadami. Secondly, ito ang magda-drive ng deployment ng ating mga barko at mga aeroplano," he said.

He added that the continued presence of the People's Liberation Army Navy, the China Coast Guard, and China's maritime militia demonstrates that Beijing's actions contradict its diplomatic statements.

"Naipapakita rito na yung illegal presence ng PLA Navy, Chinese Coast Guard at ng maritime militia ay nandoon pa rin. So, ano man ang sinasabi nila, ano man ang charm diplomacy nila, una sa lahat dapat tanggalin nila muna yung kanilang mga barko na nag-iintrude sa ating karagatan. That's why every week nagre-report tayo, every month nilalabas ang report na nandoon pa rin sila," Trinidad said.