Philippine legal victory over China rings hollow for local fishermen as they remain shut out of shoal

Philippine officials say the international tribunal's decision has strengthened Manila's legal position and underpinned a "transparency initiative" of publicising confrontations at sea.

It has also helped deepen defence cooperation with allies and led to expanded military and maritime activities with the United States, Japan and Australia.

China's actions have been counterproductive in that regard, says Jay Batongbacal, director at the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines.

"Without China's actions, the number of allies and security partners for the Philippines definitely would not have increased," he said.

But that is of little comfort to the likes of Drio and Empoc. "We won in 2016, but it doesn't feel like a victory to me," Drio said.

(Reporting by Adrian Portugal and Karen Lema; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)