BATANES Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr. strongly rejected claims made by Chinese academics that Batanes belongs to China, stressing that the northernmost Philippine province is an integral part of the country and that any attempt to question Philippine sovereignty over the islands is unacceptable.
Gato issued the statement following reports that researchers from several Chinese universities and research institutes argued during an academic symposium that the Philippines' control over Batanes allegedly lacks historical and legal basis. The scholars reportedly concluded that the islands are a geographical extension of Taiwan and that sovereignty over them belongs to China.
Lawmaker: Claims an affront to Filipino identity
“I view with grave concern recent claims made during an academic symposium in China asserting that Batanes is a natural geographical extension of Taiwan with sovereignty belonging to China,” Gato said.
“Batanes is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The Ivatans are Filipinos. These are enduring truths established by history, affirmed by our Constitution and laws, and embodied in the identity and collective experience of our people,” he added.
The lawmaker underscored that any attempt to cast doubt on the country's sovereignty over Batanes is more than just a geopolitical issue. “We view any insinuation that seeks to question or undermine the absolute sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines over our islands with utmost gravity. Any challenge to our status is not merely a geopolitical provocation; it is an affront to our identity that we will not tolerate,” Gato said.
“We have always known who we are. Our allegiance is to the Republic of the Philippines -- now and always,” he added.
Defense chief dismisses claims as 'baseless and ludicrous'
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro also dismissed the assertions, describing them as “baseless and ludicrous” and warned against allowing such claims to gain traction. “Sa kanilang closed society, sa tao nila, naniniwala ang mga tao nila dito. Brainwashed eh ang mga tao nila. So ito ay concerning kaso ito'y dapat labanan,” Teodoro told reporters in an ambush interview. (Within their closed society, their people believe this. Their followers have been brainwashed. So this is concerning, and it is something that must be confronted.)
He urged the international academic community to reject what he described as an unfounded theory. “We should not allow this to go unresponded to. All academics in the world should douse cold water already on this theory. Kalokohan na 'yan eh,” Teodoro added.
Teodoro said the reported study reinforces his belief that Beijing harbors broader strategic ambitions in the Pacific. He said China's continued assertions would only strengthen international unity against what he described as Beijing's “irresponsible behavior.”
“And sino ang sisisihin dito kapag nagkaroon ng anti-China feeling? Sila lang dahil sa ginagawa nila, no?” he said. (And who will be blamed if anti-China sentiment develops? They will have only themselves to blame because of what they're doing, right?)
“(China) will have only themselves to blame because of what they are doing…I mean, it's hindi na kapanipaniwala,” Teodoro added.
2016 Hague ruling affirmed Philippine rights
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China, declaring that Beijing's sweeping claims over the South China Sea based on its so-called “nine-dash line” or at least 90 percent of the West Philippine Sea have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The tribunal also affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. China refused to recognize the ruling and continues to reject the tribunal's decision.
