China, meanwhile, has insisted it has sovereignty over Panatag Shoal, which it calls Huangyan Island, as a traditional fishing ground of its people.[]
The Philippines has submitted its claim to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for arbitration.
China, however, said it would not submit to the jurisdiction of the tribunal.
Aside from the territorial row with China, the country is still confronting the almost 50-year old communist-led New People’s Army, which is most active in the Davao Region, parts of northern Mindanao and Surigao del Sur, Iriberri’s home province.[]
