Batanes Rep Rejects Chinese Sovereignty Claims
Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato Jr. has firmly rejected claims made by Chinese scholars that the northernmost Philippine province belongs to China. In a statement, Gato emphasized that Batanes is an integral part of the Philippines and that any attempt to question Philippine sovereignty is unacceptable.
The lawmaker made the remarks following reports that researchers from several Chinese universities and research institutes argued during an academic symposium that the Philippines' control over Batanes lacks historical and legal basis. According to reports, the scholars insisted that the archipelago is a natural geographical extension of Taiwan and that its sovereignty belongs to China.
Gato: 'Enduring Truths' Affirmed by Constitution
“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.
Defense Secretary Calls Claims 'Baseless and Ludicrous'
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro also dismissed the claims, describing them as “baseless and ludicrous.” He urged the international academic community to reject what he called a worthless theory.
Teodoro said the reported study reinforces his belief that Beijing has broader ambitions in the Pacific. He warned that continued claims by China would only strengthen global unity against what he termed Beijing's “irresponsible behavior.”
2016 Arbitration Ruling Supports Philippines
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 expansive claims in the South China Sea based on the so-called “nine-dash line” — covering at least 90% of the West Philippine Sea — have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
