MANILA (UPDATE) — A UN General Assembly resolution calling out China's aggression in the West Philippines Sea could complement the Philippines' arbitral victory against Beijing, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Thursday.

Hontiveros has filed a Senate resolution seeking to urge the Department of Foreign Affairs to elevate China's continuous incursions in the West Philippine Sea to the UN. It was blocked by her colleague, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

• Cayetano blocks Hontiveros' move to escalate China's aggression before UN

Speaking on ANC's "Headstart," Hontiveros said a UN resolution could "complement our victory at the Hague."

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, ignoring an international ruling at the Hague that the assertion has no legal basis.

To back Beijing's claim, hundreds of Chinese coast guard and other vessels patrol the waters, swarming reefs and harassing and attacking fishing and other boats.

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"We should really press our case not just at the Hague… but continuously in the court of international opinion and therefore also in any and all other international fora including the UN," Hontiveros said.

"Hindi dehado pero may advantage na tayo dito," she added.

(We're not on the losing end, but we have an advantage here.)

Hontiveros' stand was supported by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Raffy Tulfo.

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and Sen. Loren Legarda later registered their support in condemning China's incursions into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, but sided with Cayetano in deferring the possible approval of Hontiveros' resolution.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said there were other ways to address China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea without elevating it before the UN.

• China still regards Hague ruling on South China Sea illegal seven years on
• China's latest sea aggression a 'case of international gaslighting' - Hontiveros

In a statement Thursday, Zubiri said he was confident that Hontiveros' resolution would pass the Senate but admitted that its wording could possibly change.

"We are still confident that the Resolution will pass this week. As to whether we will retain the original wording, that remains to be seen," Zubiri said.

He reiterated that the Senate is a collegial body where all members can express their positions.

"The Senate is a deliberative body whose members are open to discussion and reasonable compromise. We are confident that we can come up with a wording of the Resolution that will meet our common desire while addressing the concerns of all the Members of the Senate," Zubiri said.

The Senate leader added that senators all agreed that China's "harassment" of Filipinos in the disputed waters should be condemned.

"While the Senators differ on how to go about this, we are united in the desire to condemn the harassment and bullying of our fisherfolk and Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea and ultimately, to enforce the 2016 arbitral award," he said.

— With reports from Agence France-Presse; Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News