Mabini Dialogue Series
The Mabini Dialogue Series is a venue where specialists, experts, and practitioners could engage in discussions with the Department of Foreign Affairs on national, regional, and global issues that have political, economic, and sociocultural impact on the Philippines.
Assistant Secretary Henry S. Bensurto Jr. (front row, center left) and FSI Director-General Ma. Teresita C. Daza (front row, center), along with FSO Cadetship Course Batch XXIX -- Layág
DFA Assistant Secretary Bensurto Jr. Shares Key Insights on UNCLOS and South China Sea Arbitration Ruling at FSI's Mabini Dialogue
The Foreign Service Institute held a Mabini Dialogue on 2 May 2023, with Assistant Secretary Henry S. Bensurto Jr. of the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Consular Affairs as the resource speaker. During the session, Assistant Secretary Bensurto shared an overview of the key principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and important lessons from the South China Sea Arbitration Ruling.
Assistant Secretary Bensurto is one of the Philippines' leading experts on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and maritime security and the West Philippine Sea issue, having been part of the Philippine team that filed the arbitration case against China on the West Philippine Sea.
The Dialogue was attended by FSI personnel and new Foreign Service Officers who are currently undergoing cadetship training at the Institute.
Experts Explore Practical Steps to Uphold South China Sea Arbitration Award Under the Marcos Jr. Administration
In commemoration of the sixth anniversary of the South China Sea Arbitration Award, the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) organized a Mabini Dialogue to explore the possible courses of action the Marcos, Jr. administration could take to promote and honor the Award. The event, titled “6th Anniversary of the South China Sea Arbitration Award: Policy Directions for the New Administration,” was held on 12 July 2022 via Zoom and featured maritime security and governance experts.
The experts argued that the new administration would continue specific approaches undertaken by the Duterte administration as regards the South China Sea disputes and its relations with China, although exact details were not elaborated. They are hopeful that a clearer picture of the policy direction of the new administration will be evident by the next anniversary.
Clockwise from top left: Attorney Julius A. Yano (maritime lawyer and Managing Associate, Del Rosario & Del Rosario Law Offices), Mr. Edcel John A. Ibarra (moderator, Foreign Service Institute), Professor Jaime B. Naval (faculty member, University of the Philippines, Diliman), and Associate Professor Rej C. Torrecampo (faculty member and Director, Philippine Center of Excellence in Defense, Development, and Security, National Defense College of the Philippines).
Dr. Kent Carpenter shares his experience compiling environmental evidence in the Philippines’ case against the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.
Mabini Dialogue Features Expert Witness on the Marine Environment in the South China Sea Arbitration Case
Marine biologist Dr. Kent Carpenter, expert witness in the South China Sea Arbitration Case, showed evidences of the irreparable harm inflicted on the marine environment in the South China Sea during the Foreign Service Institute’s Mabini Dialogue. The forum, co-organized by the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila, was held on 21 November 2019 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library, Department of Foreign Affairs Building.
Using high resolution satellite imagery and on-site photographs, videos and eyewitness accounts, Dr. Carpenter testified on the unparalleled direct environmental damage to the biodiverse coral reefs in the South China Sea caused by China’s extensive island-building on reef flats, sedimentation from dredging activities, and irresponsible fishing practices.
Mabini Dialogue Discusses the Philippine Maritime Security Strategy and the South China Sea Arbitration
The Foreign Service Institute organized a Mabini Dialogue on the "Filipino Struggle for Dignity in the South China Sea: Up Close and Personal" on 14 October 2019 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library, Department of Foreign Affairs. Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr., who played a key role in filing the arbitration case against China, served as the guest speaker. The event was attended by officials and staff of DFA and FSI.
Consul General Henry Bensurto, Jr. discusses key aspects of the Philippine maritime security strategy and the South China Sea arbitration.
Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. joins the discussion on the Philippines’s strategy in the South China Sea.
Consul General Henry Bensurto, Jr. poses with Ambassador-designate to the United Nations Atty. Rodolfo Robles (sixth from right), DFA officials, and FSO cadets.
Mr. Poling presents the CSIS report at the dialogue.
Mabini Dialogue Presents Recommendations for Fisheries and Environmental Cooperation in the South China Sea
Mr. Gregory B. Poling, the Director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, presented the findings and recommendations of a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Expert Working Group on Fisheries and Environmental Cooperation in the South China Sea at a Mabini Dialogue held on 1 February 2018 at the Benedicto Room, Carlos P. Romulo Library.
The CSIS study showed that fishery resources in the South China Sea accounted for 12 percent of the global fish catch in 2015. Over half of the world’s fishing vessels also operate in these waters, employing roughly 3.7 million people. This vital marine ecosystem, however, is under threat due to the effects of climate change and anthropogenic causes such as unsustainable fishing practices, among others.
Experts Examine Marine Environment Protection at the National, Regional, and Global Levels
The Foreign Service Institute, with the support of The Asia Foundation, hosted a Mabini Dialogue on the theme “Marine Environment Protection: A Multi-Level Perspective” on 1 February 2017 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library with Dr. Liana Talaue-McManus, Project Manager of the UNEP-GEF (UN Environment Program–Global Environment Facility) Transboundary Waters Assessment Program; Ms. Cheryl Rita Kaur, Head of the Center for Coastal and Marine Environment at the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA); and Dr. Mark J. Spalding, President of The Ocean Foundation.
The Ocean Foundation President Dr. Mark Spalding (right) and UNEP-GEF Transboundary Waters Assessment Program Project Manager Dr. Liana McManus (center) listen to MIMA Center for Coastal and Marine Environment Head Cheryl Kaur as she answers a question during the open forum.
Prof. McManus and (left–right) National Defense College of the Philippines Officer-in-Charge Director Ronaldo G. Junco, FSI Director-General Cristobal, and DFA Assistant Secretary Jocelyn S. Batoon-Garcia exchange views after the lecture.
Marine Biologist Shows Coral Reef Damage, Overfishing in South China Sea. Suggests Peace Parks as Solution
Professor John W. McManus, PhD, Director of the National Center for Coral Reef Research at the University of Miami, raised the problems of coral reef damage and overfishing and the possible solution of creating peace parks in the South China Sea (SCS) at a Mabini Dialogue hosted by the Foreign Service Institute, in partnership with the United States Embassy in Manila, on 6 September 2016 at the Benedicto Room, Carlos P. Romulo Library.
Professor McManus’s presentation, which was based on a paper cited in the final award of Philippines v. China, highlighted the extent of marine environmental damage in the SCS amid territorial disputes among the claimant-states.
American Legal Scholar Discusses the South China Sea Arbitration and the US’ Approach to the Award
The Foreign Service Institute, in partnership with the Embassy of the United States in Manila, hosted Professor James Kraska of the US Naval War College at a Mabini Dialogue on The Arbitration, The Way Forward, and Philippines-US Relations held on 1 September 2016 at the Carlos P. Romulo Library.
Professor Kraska provided a comprehensive discussion on what he identified as four major elements of the Award in the Philippines vs. China case: the nine-dashed line and China’s historic rights claims, the status of features in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, Chinese activities in the area, and the duty to refrain the aggravation of the dispute.
Professor Kraska responds to a question during the open forum.
Prof. Carlyle Thayer discusses China’s land reclamation activities in the South China Sea.
Security Expert Examines China’s Land Reclamation in SCS
Professor Carlyle A. Thayer, Professor Emeritus of the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defense Force Academy, spoke during the Foreign Service Institute’s Mabini Dialogue Series held at the Carlos P. Romulo Library on 15 May 2015
His presentation, “China’s Land Reclamation and Lack of Self-Restraint: Implications for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties and the Proposed Code of Conduct in the South China Sea,” critically examined the extent as well as the intentions of China in its reclamation and construction activities in the South China Sea (SCS).
Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio of the Supreme Court gave a lecture on UNCLOS and the South China Sea at the Foreign Service Institute last 4 December 2014. The lecture, attended by officers and staff of the Department, is part of the Mabini Dialogue Series of the Foreign Service Institute and was organized in partnership with the DFA Office of Legal Affairs and FSO Cadetship Course Batch XXI “Salinlahi.”
Justice Carpio discussed the scope, nature, and possible outcomes of the UNCLOS arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China. He reiterated that the arbitration case pertains only to the maritime entitlements of features in the South China Sea, which is under the jurisdiction of UNCLOS, and it is without reference to territorial claims.
Justice Carpio discusses the South China Sea issues including China’s nine-dashed line and the Philippine arbitration case against China under UNCLOS.