By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
QUEZON CITY – The Atin Ito coalition is supporting candidates in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections who are pro-West Philippine Sea (WPS) as Akbayan is seeking to include the WPS in the school curriculum nationwide.
In a press conference in Max’s Restaurant on Thursday (Feb. 20), Atin Ito Co-Convenor and Akbayan President Rafaela David said “Vote for West Philippine Sea. West Philippine Sea is real.”
The Akbayan is calling on the Marcos administration to issue an Executive Order mandating all government agencies to exert efforts institutionalizing the WPS education in the national curriculum.
It also called for establishing an institute for policy research and education focused on the WPS.
Akbayan also urged Congress to enact a law declaring the July 2016, 2016 arbitral ruling victory as a national holiday.
It is also calling for concrete policies civilianizing the WPS.
“Let us protect what is ours. Let us protect the West Philippine Sea. Let us vote for the West Philippine Sea,” David said.
“We know that China has not changed and continuously make bullying activities in the West Philippine Sea. Let us vote candidates who are pro-West Philippine Sea and not pro-China so that the POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) will not make a ‘comeback,’” she added.
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (Ret.) gave the historical and legal basis of the Philippines’ claim in the WPS.
Carpio said that the West Philippine Sea Maritime Act was approved without any negative vote.
“The West Philippine Sea was also in the Executive Order of then President Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III,” he added.
“We have sovereign rights and territorial integrity over the West Philippine Sea. We also have the sovereign rights over the natural resources or jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea,” Carpio said.
Carpio cited that only former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has been pro-China for the longest time.
In the enactment into law of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act in the 19th Congress, Carpio said “Nobody opposed. Zero abstained”, adding that he never heard of Sagip Partylist Rep. Dante Marcoleta saying anything about the West Philippine Sea and he suddenly stated that the West Philippine Sea was never included in the official Philippine demographic map.
Carpio stressed that the total land area of the West Philippine Sea is bigger than the total land mass of the country, including the vast mineral, natural and maritime resources, but the then President Rodrigo Duterte allowed China to conduct fishing activities in the area.
“The 1934 map of Fred Murillo is the official map of the Philippines in the year 1734 or since the Spanish time. “We have won in the maritime because of the arbitral ruling, but not on the territorial sovereignty over the Spratly’s Group of Islands and the Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal.”
“Not only through an Executive Order, but the West Philippine Sea is in our laws. Like Benham Rise, which is submerged. That is what is submitted to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), not the surface area,” Carpio said.
Akbayan Partylist Rep. Perci Cendaña, author of House Resolution 2234 declaring July 12 as the “National West Philippine Sea Victory Day” underscored the significance of declaring the Philippines’ victory as an act of defiance against aggression.
Cendana said “if we have June 12 is the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day and July 4 is the Philippine-American Friendship Day, hence, we should also commemorate July 12 as the National West Philippine Sea Victory Day.”
“Celebrating this important anniversary is important for us to give meaning to our act of defiance against regional aggression,” Cendana said.
“Territorial sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea is our top most priority,” he added.
“Itong anibersaryo ay hindi lamang pagkilala sa ating diplomatic and legal victory kundi pagkilala rin sa katapangan ng mga frontliners na nagtatanggol sa ating karagatan,” he added.
Akbayan Partylist First Nominee Chel Diokno said “despite the recent helicopter attack over the West Philippine Sea, the government should have a ‘fall back’ or ‘push back’” such as education about the West Philippine, including exploration and other related matters.”
“At a time when China’s aggression is no longer limited to our seas and skies, and is further worsened by the prevalence of fake news and disinformation on social media, the government must proactively push back with education.”
“Mahalaga na ituro ang kasaysayan at geography ng West Philippine Sea sa ating mga paaralan para maitanim sa ating mga isipan ang West Philippine Sea,” Diokno added.
He called on the government to push for the creation of a West Philippine Sea Institute to be tasked with conducting maritime research, resource exploration in the country’s EEZ, and in crafting the education curriculum.
“It is best we unify and coordinate with such activities under this West Philippine Sea Institute. It is within our internationally recognized sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea to explore and preserve the vast maritime resources in our seas,” Diokno said.
Atin Ito Co-Convenor Edicio dela Torre noted that the PRRM is focused on rural development since 1952.
Dela Torre said that the Philippines should be recognized as a maritime country. “This is a generational matter. It cannot be done overnight,” he said.
Aside from campus tour, he said, after the May 12, 2025 midterm elections, we would like to deliver a “peace concert’. What is important is a peaceful settlement of this.
“We should combine the ‘power of principle and the principle of power’. Kaya ng Pinoy na mag-unite. If we believe in the recent surveys, nasa top 5 ang issue on the West Philippine Sea,” Dela Torre said.
“Maraming maybahay ang nag-OOFW (overseas Filipino workers) dahil sa hirap ng buhay,” he added.
Khylla Meneses, secretary-general-Akbayan Youth, cited the following four-way test to help voters identify whether candidates in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections genuinely support the Philippines’ claims in the WPS:
–Has no history of aligning themselves with the previous administration’s pro-China policies,
–Has consistently championed and defended our country’s historic arbitral tribunal victory in 2016,
–Has defended and extended support for our fisherfolks from Chinese aggression, and
–Has concrete proposal to civilianize the West Philippine Sea.
“May konkretong plano para suportahan ang ating mga mangingisda sa West Philippine Sea,” Meneses said.
“It is important to make use of the four-way test in order to determine whether or not candidates in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections are pro-West Philippine Sea or pro-China,” she added.
“West Philippine Sea, Atin Ito! West Philippine Sea, Atin Ito! West Philippine Sea, Atin Ito!” they shouted in unison.
