Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 31) — Senator Risa Hontiveros said the government must name the features of the Kalayaan Island Group to cement its claim in the contested West Philippine Sea.
In a statement Monday, the lawmaker offered this suggestion to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in light of China’s continued incursion in the disputed waters.
“The features we occupy in the KIG remain unnamed. Mapapalakas ang paggiit natin ng ating karapatan sa WPS kung malinaw ang pangalan, katangian, at sakop ng mga inaangkin nating teritoryo,” Hontiveros was quoted as saying in the statement.
[Translation: Our assertion of our right to WPS will be strengthened if the name, nature, and scope of our claimed territories are clear.]
“Identity is key. Naming our land and rocks in the KIG will help us consolidate our ownership of the WPS. Establishing baselines in the KIG that can identify our territorial seas bolsters our complete sovereignty over these seas,” Hontiveros added.
The senator further said that the Philippines cannot afford to stay “passive” as “China will only continue to take what is ours.”
The Foreign Affairs department has already lodged dozens of diplomatic protests against the continuous presence of Chinese vessels in the vicinity of Pag-asa islands.
READ: Philippines files fresh diplomatic protest vs. China’s ‘prolonged presence’ in West PH Sea
Just last week, the country filed another diplomatic protest, demanding anew that China withdraw its ships in the area.
