By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
The scope of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and the Philippines’ sovereignty over features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) are “incontrovertible,” grounded in international law, and not dependent on whether they fall within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
Newly appointed DFA Spokesperson for Maritime Affairs Rogelio Villanueva Jr. clarified at a press briefing, seeking to dispel misconceptions about Philippine territory in the WPS.
Citing the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, or Republic Act No. 12064, Villanueva said the country’s western maritime zones—including the Luzon Sea, the territorial seas of Bajo de Masinloc, and the maritime features of the KIG—are “collectively called the West Philippine Sea.”
He said high-tide features within the KIG are entitled to a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea measured from their baselines.
“As such, the extent of what constitutes the West Philippine Sea, as well as our sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group, and the territorial sea of its high-tide features, are already explicitly established, and are not contingent on whether or not they fall within the country’s exclusive economic zone,” he added.
Villanueva reiterated that Philippine sovereignty and maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as clarified by the 2016 Arbitral Award, are all “firmly founded” on international law, legal principles, effective control, and recognition through international treaties and agreements.
He said the DFA, for its part, will continue protecting the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, while advancing its mandate on maritime diplomacy.
“The DFA will continue to champion the Philippine position in the maritime domain through the effective use of diplomacy to facilitate responsible and principled approaches that lead to positive outcomes,” he added.
“To help achieve this, we will continue to engage our counterparts in a firm and professional manner consistent with the mutual respect that must prevail in all diplomatic interactions.”
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta drew criticism after he reportedly suggested it would be easier to surrender the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in Palawan, claiming it is “not even within our EEZ.”
In a later statement, he said he was “misinterpreted,” clarifying that his remark about “giving up” only pertained to “mapping.”
