I appreciate the link to the article, Bubbly. It seems that Duterte is more appeasing than his own defense secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, who has been more vocal on China's incursions in the West Philippine Sea.

That is a most relevant question, Bubbly, because if there is global consensus, then there would be no dispute between China and the Philippines. Therein lies the problem. According to international law, the Philippines owns Scarborough Shoal. According to China's own metric, which is known as the "nine-dash line," it belongs to China. However, the UN arbitral tribunal (which handles such global disputes also called the Permanent Court of Arbitration) ruled in favor of the Philippines while invalidating China's nine-dash line in 2016.

Scarborough Shoal is abundant in fish, oil, gas, and minerals. It is also strategically located in the West Philippine Sea (also known as the South China Sea), wherein approximately $5 trillion of goods pass. Hence, it is commonly believed by maritime experts that China has militarized islands belonging to the Philippines in order to control the West Philippine Sea as well as exploit its resources. That is precisely why it is imperative for the Philippines to enforce its arbitral award.