The Philippines will now be able to host Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) tribunal hearings through the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center (PDRC), according to Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, the Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands and Acting President of the PCA Administrative Council, in a forum at Ateneo Law School.
Ambassador Malaya emphasized the importance of this development, noting that it will bring substantial cost and time savings for the parties involved.
“With the signing of a cooperation agreement yesterday between the PCA and the PDRC, Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, PCA-administered hearings can now be conducted here in the Philippines. You heard me right,” Malaya announced.
“PCA-administered hearings can now be conducted here. And that means a lot of cost savings as well as savings in time,” he added.
The agreement, signed Thursday, allows for legal arbitration seats to be placed in various locations while conducting the actual hearings in the Philippines.
This flexibility is expected to benefit not only the Filipino government but also private clients and lawyers practicing in the country.
“The rule of law is essential to the promotion of justice and the maintenance of international peace and security,” Malaya remarked.
In a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday, PCA Secretary General Marcin Czepelak expressed his intent to establish a Host Country Agreement with the Philippines to facilitate the international court’s hearings in the country.
Under such an agreement, a legal framework would be established between the host country and the PCA to conduct future PCA-administered proceedings on an ad hoc basis within the host country’s territory, eliminating the need for a permanent physical presence of the PCA.
Additionally, the agreement could allow for the establishment of a PCA facility within the host country.
