Manila: The Army Aviation Regiment (AAR) conducted a two-day maritime air patrol (MARPAT) over Mindanao waters, the Philippine Army (PA) stated Tuesday. The patrol aimed to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Ruling that favored the Philippines' case against China regarding the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

According to Philippines News Agency, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala explained that the MARPAT mission, held from July 12 to 13, was executed by the Special Mission Aviation Company, a subordinate unit of the Aviation Regiment. The patrol covered the archipelagic waters and territorial seas of the Zamboanga Peninsula, Maguindanao del Norte, and the islands of Basilan and Sulu.

The AAR had previously conducted a MARPAT mission on June 11 over the archipelagic waters and territorial seas of Aurora, Isabela, and Cagayan provinces, extending into the exclusive economic zone that includes the Philippine Rise. A similar mission was also carried out in Central and Eastern Visayas last month.

Col. Dema-ala conveyed that the PA leadership commended the AAR for the continued execution of MARPAT missions, which align with the Army's Land Defense Concept. This concept is a vital component of the Department of National Defense's Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.

The 2016 Arbitral Ruling, delivered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on July 12, invalidated China's nine-dash line claim. This invisible boundary, now expanded into a 10-dash line, asserts territorial claims over a large portion of the South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the WPS.