The Philippines' media management in crisis – lessons from the South China Sea Arbitration case

After nearly ten years since the arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled over the South China Sea case, the tensions in the sea have been intensified in recent years. Therefore, there is a need to review how the claimant states settled down the tensions in the past and to draw lessons to manage emerging tensions at the moment. This paper explored how the Philippine government managed its media strategies during the legal battle against China over the SCS/WPS from 2013 to 2016. Using a theoretical framework of media diplomacy, the author framed and analyzed 1021 DFA remarks and 1176 news reports from the Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer relating to the arbitral case. The results showed that the Philippine government used its media tools and controlled relationships with Philippine media channels to promote the legal case and handle pressure from China about the SCS issue. Based on development in the SCS region, this study suggests some lessons for the Philippine government in using media diplomacy to manage the SCS/WPS issue with China while taking peace and stability of the region into account.