Mayor Benjamin Magalong and city officials are seen with Philippine Military Academy superintendent Caesar Bernard Valencia at the weekly flag-raising ceremony on Monday, July 13, 2026. — Photo courtesy of PMA information office
BAGUIO CITY — Baguio commemorated the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Hague arbitral ruling rejecting China’s sweeping South China Sea claims, including areas within the Philippines’ West Philippine Sea, through a military-sponsored battle of the bands on Sunday and a city hall information drive on Monday.
The ruling was not just a legal victory but a globally acknowledged testament that “truth, justice and the rule of law is the foundation for a free nation,” said Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia, superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy, who spoke at Monday’s flag-raising ceremony at the city hall.
Details about the decision were displayed at the City Hall lobby at the start of the week. Mayor Benjamin Magalong said Baguio’s activities aim to retell the story about the country’s sovereignty to a young generation.
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“Why are we celebrating the arbitral ruling and championing the West Philippine Sea in Baguio, which is a mountain city that is so far from the seas? The answer is that the West Philippine Sea is not just a maritime issue. .. it is about the sovereignty of every Filipino regardless of where we live, ” Valencia said in his speech.
Every generation is tasked to protect their sovereignty against foreign aggression because all security issues would impact the economy and how they live, he said. /das
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