By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has reaffirmed the Philippines’ claim over Sabah amid renewed discussion over a 2012 Philippine map depicting the contested territory.
At a media briefing in Pasay City on Friday, DFA maritime affairs spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva said the country maintains its sovereignty claim over Sabah, which is currently administered by Malaysia.
“[T]he Philippines, with the enactment of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act of 2024, Republic Act 12064, has not repealed Section 2 of Republic Act 5446, which defines the baselines of the territorial zones of the Philippine archipelago and is without prejudice to the Philippines’ existing and valid claims on the portion of North Borneo,” he said.
The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) earlier clarified how the country’s maritime zones in the West Philippine Sea are reflected on official maps, citing its 2012 administrative map.
Villanueva explained that the depiction of Sabah in the cartograph — intended to illustrate the Philippines’ different regions — provides a geographic approximation of North Borneo in relation to the main Philippine archipelago.
Integrating new law
On the West Philippine Sea, Villanueva said the DFA will coordinate with NAMRIA on the release of a new map incorporating the 2016 Arbitral Award and the 2024 Maritime Zones Act.
However, he stressed that submission of the map to the United Nations is merely an administrative requirement to inform other states.
“The rights of the Philippines as to its sovereignty and sovereign rights, and maritime entitlements is not dependent on the submission of these maps to the United Nations because it is grounded in international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and as clarified by the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he said.
Villanueva added that the DFA will continue to protect the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea “through effective and principled diplomacy.” (PNA)
