Philippines tells China: Leave Panganiban, Zamora reefs in West PH Sea
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated on Friday, September 11, Manila’s call for Beijing to leave militarized reefs in the West Philippine Sea, days after China fired flares at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft.
“We call on China to cease its illegal occupation and activities in Panganiban Reef and Zamora Reef immediately, and to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” said the DFA.
On September 7, Chinese forces in Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) and Zamora Reef (Subi Reef) fired flares at an unarmed PCG aircraft as it was en route to Pag-asa Island. All these features are part of the West Philippine Sea, a body of water that includes the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
Chinese embassy in Manila deputy spokesperson Guo Wei, in a statement, earlier insisted in a statement that China had “jurisdiction” over the two reefs, which they consider to the part of the Nansha Islands, which they claim as their territory.
Both reefs are low-tide elevations where sovereignty cannot be claimed, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which China is signatory to.
The Philippines, however, claims sovereignty over Zamora Reef since it is located within 12 nautical miles of Pag-asa Island’s territorial sea. Pag-asa Island is located beyond the Philippines’ EEZ and is the westernmost area where a permanent Filipino civilian population resides in.
In a statement, the DFA said no sovereignty claims should be made under Panganiban Reef according to international law.
The DFA added: “China’s island-building on both features violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064) and UNCLOS, as confirmed by the Award, and does not change the features’ legal status as a low-tide elevation.”
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, as its territory — a stand that’s contradictory to UNCLOS. Beijing also rejects the 2016 Arbitral Award, a landmark ruling based on UNCLOS, that affirmed the entitlements and rights of the Philippines based on the same convention.
Bilateral ties between the two countries have been especially tense in recent years, primarily over disputes in the West Philippine Sea and China’s incursions. Those tensions have also spilled beyond the maritime space. Last year, China imposed sanctions on former senator Francis Tolentino, who is now labor chief, and sanctioned Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. just in 2026. – Rappler.com
