Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Rodante Marcoleta engaged in a heated exchange on the Senate floor over how the Philippines defines and defends its claim in the West Philippine Sea, highlighting a divide on whether the issue is already settled by law or still needs clearer geographic definition.
The debate arose during deliberations on a Senate resolution responding to critical remarks from the Chinese Embassy. Pangilinan cited figures from advisers to the Philippine delegation to the International Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague, saying the Philippines holds sovereign rights over about 500,000 square kilometers based on its 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone. He said this directly conflicts with China’s 10-dash line claim, which covers most of the South China Sea.
Pangilinan stressed that the 2016 arbitral ruling already resolved the dispute by rejecting China’s nine-dash line and declaring its actions within the Philippine EEZ illegal. He argued that discussions on precise boundaries are unnecessary and do not affect the ruling’s validity.
Marcoleta disagreed, saying the Philippines still lacks clearly defined coordinates for the West Philippine Sea. He cited National Security Council figures estimating the area at around 381,000 square kilometers and questioned whether current laws sufficiently establish maritime boundaries. He also warned that the EEZ does not cover all features in the Kalayaan Island Group and cautioned against extending claims into areas classified as high seas under UNCLOS.
Pangilinan countered that the arbitral ruling requires no further defense, only firm enforcement. The exchange underscored a broader policy divide between asserting the finality of the arbitral victory and revisiting domestic definitions of maritime claims amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
