Last of two parts

TO be sure, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro’s role requires quiet diplomacy, but she has also been a solid and principled defender of Philippine sovereign rights when called upon. Just days after her appointment in July 2025, she publicly described China’s continued rejection of the 2016 arbitral award as “worrisome,” accused Beijing of pushing a “revisionist, self-serving interpretation” of international law, and declared the award the “cornerstone” of Philippine maritime policy. Her department filed 47 diplomatic protests against China in 2025 alone — and more than 200 since 2022.