PAG-ASA ISLAND — The Philippine National Maritime Council (NMC) on Friday unveiled an updated maritime chart showing the high-tide features of Pag-asa Island, Lawak Island and other features in the Kalayaan Island Group, as part of efforts to update the country’s official maritime information in the West Philippine Sea.
Presidential Assistant for Maritime Concerns Secretary Andres Centino said the project was undertaken in compliance with tasks assigned by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and the Philippine Navy.
The updated chart will be submitted to the United Nations, similar to the official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc, or Scarborough/Panatag Shoal, submitted on July 29.
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“Doon kasi kailangan malaman kung gaano kalalim, ang mga high tide, low tide features, and even the contours of the island kasi our charts medyo matagal na. It has to be updated. Siguro dahil sa weather or sa constant siguro na na pasok ng tubig, nabago na ang contour ng island,” Centino told reporters in a chance interview during the celebration of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month in Pag-asa Island.
Pag-asa Island is a Philippine-administered feature in the West Philippine Sea and is home to a civilian community.
Centino said the charting reflects the Philippines sovereign function over the West Philippine Sea features.
“More than announcing that we have an island, not just a dot on a map, napuntahan natin ngayon and you're here as witness to the presentation of the map, which is actually a depiction of our sovereign territory here as part of the West Philippines Sea,” Centino said.
As part of Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month activities, several Philippine government officials, including National Anti-Povery Council Sec. Manny Pacquiao, visited Pag-asa Island on Friday to provide relief goods and other assistance to residents.
The visit came amid the continued presence of Chinese vessels in waters near the island.
“Marami sa atin na hindi pa nakakalam na meron tayong dagat na ganito kalapad. It's very important that we should hold up to what we have. We are so blessed with the vast bounties of our waters. This is actually seven times as large as our landmass and that's hindi alam ng marami. And that's why we're doing this advocacy promoting awareness para mapangalagaan natin. At siguro importante that we put in science to this also. Dapat ma-research natin so that we would know anong nandon sa ilalim ng karagatan natin,” said Centino.
The Philippines claims a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from its archipelagic baselines, including waters on the western side of the country in the South China Sea, which the Philippines officially calls the West Philippine Sea.
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The South China Sea is subject to overlapping maritime claims involving China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, including claims involving maritime areas and geographic features.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that rejected its claimed historic rights insofar as they exceed the maritime entitlements permitted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The disputed waters remain heavily patrolled, with confrontations and other maritime incidents occurring among claimant states.