Tolentino: Can we change WPS name to 'Greater West Philippine Sea'?

Senator Francis Tolentino floated on Thursday the idea of changing the name of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to the Greater West Philippine Sea.

Tolentino inquired about the idea during a hearing by a special Senate panel when Atty. Neil Simon Silva of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea explained the areas in the South China Sea that are declared part of the West Philippine Sea.

A former chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Tolentino likened the term to "Greater Metro Manila," which includes adjacent provinces of the National Capital Region (NCR).

“So gaya ng iyong Metro Manila, Metro Manila lang. But Greater Metro Manila Area can encompass San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, Bacoor, Cavite, Antipolo, etc. Okay ka don?” he asked.

(So like Metro Manila, it's just Metro Manila. But Greater Metro Manila Area can encompass San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, Bacoor, Cavite, Antipolo, etc. Are you okay with that?)

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said renaming the West Philippine Sea is possible, but this might not be recognized by the international community.

“We're not going to say hindi puwede (it is not allowed), except internationally, the term might not be recognized. For example, West Philippine Sea does not appear in foreign maps. But internally, we can say it's the ‘Greater.’ It sounds good,” De Vega said, responding to Tolentino’s query.

“[It] depends on how far. As long as it doesn't say that the sea is Philippine territory kasi that would be a violation of UNCLOS itself,” he added, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

De Vega also said that other countries would not take offense if the West Philippine Sea was changed to the "Greater West Philippine Sea," except for one state.

“The only situation is other countries will not use that term. They might not be offended by it. I know one country which will be offended by it - we know one country, large country which will be offended by the term. But I like the term,” he said.

Tolentino later clarified that his manifestation was just a "playful interjection."

"Just semantics. Binibiro ko lang ang DFA, but don’t take that seriously… I was just playing with words," he told reporters. 

In 2012, then-President Benigno Aquino III issued Administrative Order No. 29 naming the  maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago as the West Philippine Sea.

These areas include the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo De Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

Created in July, the special Senate panel discussed the proposed Maritime Zones Act, which will establish the extent of Philippine jurisdiction over its exclusive zones and its continental shelf.

Tolentino earlier said this would be passed along with another measure that would establish the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes.

Currently, there are seven bills on the Philippine Maritime Zones Act while there are four bills on the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes.

Tolentino and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said in August that the Senate would fast-track the passage of the Philippine Maritime Zones Bill following China’s release of the new 10-dash line map, which places nearly the entire South China Sea within its national boundaries.  —KBK/VBL, GMA Integrated News