23/10/2026
PRESS RELEASE No. 2026-29
PROF. JAY BATONGBACAL GIVES TALKS IN BUCHAREST, ROMANIA ON THE 2016 SOUTH CHINA SEA ARBITRAL AWARD
The Philippine Embassy in Bucharest, Romania organized a lecture series featuring Prof. Jay L. Batongbacal, Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law and Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the U.P. Law Center on 19-20 October 2026. The lectures are part of the Philippine government’s commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.
Romania is one of the countries that signed the joint statement on the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award in July 2026.
Prof. Batongbacal’s first lecture was at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute (IDR) on Monday, 19 October 2026, which was attended by participants from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government officials, students and academe, and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
The second lecture was held at the University of Bucharest - Faculty of Law on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, and was attended by international law students and faculty members.
The professor’s lectures focused on the Philippine interests in the West Philippine Sea, maritime disputes, the 2016 Arbitral Award and its importance to international law, and the challenges that the Philippines continue to face. He emphasized that the Arbitral decision authoritatively invalidated China’s excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and fully vindicated the Philippines’ sovereign rights to its 200 nautical mile EEZ and continental shelf.
The lectures were well-received and contributed not just to highlight the impact of the Arbitral Award, but to also raise the profile of the Philippines in Romania, as well as its contributions to upholding international law. End
