MANILA, July 13 -- Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Sunday called on Filipinos to remain united in asserting the country's sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, as the nation marked the ninth anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated China's sweeping claims in the region.

Romualdez, who served as Speaker in the 19th Congress, said the landmark decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague is a "historic affirmation" of the Philippines' maritime entitlements under international law.

"The West Philippine Sea belongs to the Filipino people -not because we are the strongest, but because it is rightfully ours under the rule of law," he said.

The arbitral ruling, issued on July 12, 2016...