Recently, an AFP reporter “accidentally” discovered that the waters west of the Philippines were labeled as the “West Philippine Sea” on Google Maps, whereas they had previously been marked as the “South China Sea.”

This change was also noticed by Philippine Armed Forces spokesperson Colonel Francel Padilla, who said in a statement on Monday, “As defenders of national sovereignty, the AFP sees this as a valuable contribution to truthful representation and public awareness.”

But what is the public’s true understanding? And what exactly does the term “West Philippine Sea,” which suddenly appeared on Google Maps, even mean?

Back on July 29, 2024, mainstream Philippine newspaper The Manila Times published an article titled ‘West Philippine Sea’ is fiction, and a dangerous one, written by former presidential spokesperson Rigoberto D. Tiglao.

At the very beginning of his article, Tiglao wrote:

“PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s worst assertion in his recent State of the Nation Address (referring to President Marcos’s third State of the Nation Address, delivered on July 22, 2024) was that the “West Philippines Sea is not fictional” (kathang-isip). He melodramatically, but in a jingoistic manner, claimed: “This is ours, and it will remain ours until our love for the Philippines is aflame.” Marcos is so blatantly wrong.”

Tiglao went on to argue that “WPS is fiction. Worse, Marcos is maliciously tapping on Filipinos’ nationalist sentiments against another nation and ensuring US support to buttress his failing presidency.”

On September 12, 2012, the Philippine government issued Administrative Order No. 29, signed by then-President Benigno Aquino III, declaring that the marine areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago—including parts of the South China Sea—would be officially designated as the “West Philippine Sea.”

According to the order, the waters west of the Philippine archipelago, known locally as the “Luzon Sea” (which covers parts of the South China Sea), would henceforth be referred to as the “West Philippine Sea.” This includes areas near the “Kalayaan Island Group” (certain islands and reefs in China’s Nansha Qundao) and “Scarborough Shoal” (China’s Huangyan Dao).

Tiglao described Aquino III’s move as foolish and naive. In his article, he pointed out “We lost Scarborough Shoal to the Chinese even earlier, in May 2012, and China Coast Guard vessels routinely patrol it and drive away foreign vessels at will, as it claims the area is part of Chinese territory. How can we include it as our WPS?”

Admittedly, the territory of the Philippines is defined by a series of international treaties, including the 1898 Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain (the Treaty of Paris), the 1900 Treaty between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain for Cession of Outlying Islands of the Philippines (the Treaty of Washington), and the 1930 Convention between His Majesty in Respect of the United Kingdom and the President of the United States regarding the Boundary between the State of North Borneo and the Philippine Archipelago. None of these treaties included Huangyan Dao within Philippine territory.

Since the late 1970s, the Philippines has gradually asserted sovereignty over Huangyan Dao through a strategy of creeping occupation and a mix of soft and hard approaches.

In 1978, then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed Presidential Decree No. 1596, unilaterally naming certain islands and reefs in China’s Nansha Qundao and surrounding waters as the “Kalayaan Island Group,” and illegally incorporating them into Philippine territory. In 2009, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act No. 9522, which also unlawfully included Huangyan Dao and parts of islands and reefs in the South China Sea within the Philippines’ claimed territory.

On November 8, 2024, President Marcos Jr. signed the Maritime Zones Act, once again attempting to use domestic legislation to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea. However, both historically and legally, these claims by the Philippines lack any solid foundation.

As Tiglao pointed out, “WPS” has been a propaganda tool to brainwash Filipinos and create outrage against China. Even in the 2016 South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, the arbitral tribunal did not adopt the term “West Philippine Sea” in its ruling.

The AFP reporter’s so-called accidental discovery, along with the Philippine military’s prompt endorsement, strongly suggests yet another round of calculated hype. But no matter how much noise is made, it cannot change the facts—just as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the label change on Google Maps with a brief but powerful statement that leaves little room for dispute:

“Let me point out that ‘South China Sea’ is the geographic name that has long been used, recognized and accepted by the international community, including countries worldwide and international organizations such as the UN.”