A member of the House of Representatives came under fire for proclaiming that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) does not legally exist, reflecting China’s position that the massive body of water at western Philippines are all part of South China Sea.
“There is nothing as (sic) West Philippine Sea… that is a creation by us,” remarked Rep. Rodante Marcoleta during a congressional hearing on the subject of fake news last February 4.
Marcoleta is the representative of Sagip Partylist who is currently running for senator under the coalition headed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Suggesting that the Filipinos be enlightened about the alleged “non-existence” of the West Philippine Sea, the congressman also said: “Wala po ‘yun.. Sa totoo lang po, kahit basahin mo yung ating mapa or what, there is no West Philippine Sea.”
(It does not exist.. The truth being, even if you read our maps or what, there is no West Philippine Sea.)
The congressman’s statement instantly drew heavy criticisms, one of the sharpest coming from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“Hearing someone claim that the ‘West Philippine Sea’ is merely a fabrication of the Philippine government is a disservice and an embarrassment to their entire party, the organization they belong to, and even their own family,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for WPS, posted on X.
“How can one face the younger generations today and tell them that our Exclusive Economic Zone to the west of our archipelago is nonexistent, effectively giving up the fight to assert their rights as Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea?” added the coast guard official.
Netizens were also quick in slamming Marcoleta’s pro-China posturing.
“Marcoleta isa kang Pilipino ‘tas sasabihin mo na walang West Philippine Sea? Wala kang kwentang Pilipino! Wala kang malasakit sa bansang Pilipinas. Di ka nahiya sa sinabi mong walang West Philippine Sea,” wrote Nats Lim on the social media page of TV5.
(Marcoleta you are a Filipino so, how dare you say there’s no West Philippine Sea? You are a good for nothing Filipino. You don’t care for the country. You should be ashamed for saying there’s no West Philippine Sea.)
“Sayang itong si Marcoleta at pro-Chinese,” netizen Virgil Briones, for his part, posted.
(It’s a waste that this Marcoleta is pro-Chinese.)
Official records show that the name “West Philippine Sea” was legally adopted through Administrative Order (AO) number 29 issued in 2012 by then President Benigno Aquino III.
AO 29 designated the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago as the “West Philippine Sea” which includes the Luzon Sea and the waters around, within, and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).
The Philippine government said the order was based on the principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which grants the country sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) up to 200 nautical miles from its baselines. The naming was also intended to assert the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction over these waters.
In 2016, the international arbitral tribunal adjudicating the Philippines’ case against China in the South China Sea overwhelmingly ruled in favor of the Filipinos.
The international Court, based in The Netherlands, determined that major elements of China’s claim in the body of water — including the nine-dash line and recent land reclamation activities — were unlawful.
China called the ruling “null and void” and has since taken assertive and inflammatory steps at the West Philippine Sea.
