The Department of National Defense on Wednesday disputed the latest statements of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense claiming sovereignty over Pag-asa Island and Lawak Island in the West Philippine Sea, reiterating that the features remain part of Philippine territory and under the country’s administrative jurisdiction.
“Pag-asa Island and Lawak Island form part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which has long been administered by the Philippines as the Municipality of Kalayaan under the Province of Palawan. The legitimate exercise of Philippine authority in these areas, including the conduct of improvement and development activities, is intended to support the welfare, safety, and livelihood of Filipinos residing and working therein,” the statement said.
The defense department also rejected China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas within the West Philippine Sea (WPS), as reflected in its so-called “nine-dash line,” which the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal declared illegal and without legal basis under international law and the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both the Philippines and China are states parties.
The tribunal likewise found that China’s large-scale land reclamation and construction activities on several features in the South China Sea (SCS) caused severe harm to the marine environment and that certain Chinese actions unlawfully interfered with the Philippines’ exercise of sovereign rights within its Exclusive Economic Zone.
“Continued interference with lawful Philippine activities, including in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, undermines regional stability and the rules-based international order,” DND said.
“The Department of National Defense remains steadfast in safeguarding Philippine territory, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, in accordance with international law and in pursuit of a peaceful, stable, and rules-based maritime domain,” it added.
