FRANCISCO S. TATAD
The sight of Filipino fishermen fishing again in Scarborough Shoal while the Chinese Coast Guard stays out of their hair is a welcome sign that Philippine-Chinese relations are on the way back to normalcy following President Duterte’s four-day state visit to Beijing. The maritime dispute over the area remains, but the disputants are now able to reach out to each other without any unnecessary philippics or incident. This is a genuine first step to build upon. It is hoped that the two parties could now begin to work earnestly together toward a just and lasting settlement of their maritime territorial dispute according to international law.