July 15, 2016 — MANILA — At a Shakey’s restaurant in Manila this week, dozens of Filipinos — some with Philippine flags painted on their faces — wept with joy and cheered when a tribunal in The Hague announced that Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea were invalid. Around the country, others took to social media and bought rounds of drinks in celebration.
But in the aftermath of Tuesday’s ruling, which China has said it plans to ignore, a post-celebration hangover has set in, with the Philippine government taking a cautious approach in its response to China that has left some Filipinos grumbling that the government is raining on their parade.
The ruling delivered a sweeping victory to the Philippines. Not only was the “nine-dash line” that China used to claim most of the South China Sea invalidated, but the tribunal agreed with nearly every assertion made by the Philippines in the case.
The foreign affairs secretary of the Philippines, Perfecto Yasay Jr., appeared on live television shortly after the ruling was announced. With a somber expression, he said the tribunal’s judgment was welcome and that the government would study how best to respond. “In the meantime, we call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety,” he said.
Mr. Yasay’s measured comments were met with disappointment by the people gathered at Shakey’s.