West Philippine Sea Archives

Jul252022 by No Comments

Marcos Jr. vows not to ‘abandon’ any Philippine territory to foreign entities

News

by NILLICENT BAUTISTA IN HIS first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. asserted that he would not be supportive of measures that would relinquish any Philippine territory to other foreign entities. While making no mention of the tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos Jr. gained applause by promising to never let any "inch" of territory to another nation. “In the area of foreign policy, I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power,” Marcos Jr. said “We will stand firm in our independent policy with national interests as our primordial guide,” he added. Marcos Jr. emphasized that the country will remain committed to m...

Feb272022 by No Comments

Sotto, Pangilinan: Strengthen state alliances to assert rights over WPS

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by MATTHEW DAVE JUCOM VICE PRESIDENTIAL aspirants Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said strengthening treaties and alliances would help assert the country’s right over the West Philippine Sea. Pangilinan said the Philippines should heigthen its relationship with the neighboring ASEAN countries and other countries concerned about China’s aggression to strengthen its position against the “illegal and fake reclamation” of China on Philippine borders. “We will have to engage with ASEAN—Indonesia [and] Vietnam. They are also concerned about the aggression of China. We should align with ASEAN neighbors who, together, we can strengthen our position that this aggression is not right. The US, Australia, Japan are also concerned about this n...

Jun122018 by No Comments

Robredo: Do not be afraid of China in WPS issue

News

By LUIS MIGUEL B. ARUCAN VICE PRESIDENT Leni Robredo stressed that the Philippines must not be afraid of China in asserting its ownership over territories within the West Philippine Sea (WPS) during a forum held June 11. “[Speaking] up against a major global superpower is intimidating. By size, by headcount by, influence or by military strength, the Philippines may seem small and insignificant, but our people are not,” she said. “We cannot hand over our sovereignty just because we are afraid. We must assert our claim on the [WPS], but that means each of us must stand united so that we can fight for what is ours,” Robredo added. The Chinese Coast Guard has reportedly been harassing Filipino fishermen in the WPS despite the July 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitrati...

Mar182016 by No Comments

SC Justice urges Thomasians to object China’s West PH Sea claim

News

FILIPINOS HAVE a “sole duty to prevent the loss of a huge maritime space” by objecting China’s claim to the West Philippine Sea, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio told Thomasians in the 48th St. Thomas More lecture. Carpio said the Philippines may lose 531,000 sq. km. of its maritime area, which is larger than the country’s 300,000 sq. km. land area if China wins the arbitration case. “This is the heart of the matter of the dispute. Freedom of navigation is just incidental to me because this is a battle for resources over our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Extended Continental Shelf (ECS),” he said. Carpio, one of the country’s delegates to the Hague-based arbitral tribunal, perceived these activities as a demonstration of China’s “grand strategy to seize the S...