Lorenzana ‘sorry’ over ‘empty victory’ on sea row but calls it ‘premature, incomplete’

AFTER calling an international arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines over China in the disputed territories an “empty victory,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had a change of heart and apologized to two members of the delegation that presented the country’s position at The Hague in The Netherlands in 2016.

Lorenzana addressed his “sincere apology” to former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario and Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio “for ruffling their feelings when I said the PCA ruling in our favor is an empty victory.”