MANILA, Philippines - The state weather bureau will now be using “West Philippine Sea” in their future weather advisories to refer to the waters in the western seaboard, Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said yesterday.
“Please be informed that from now on, we will use West Philippine Sea to refer to what we used to call South China Sea,” Yumul said. He said the body of water east of the Philippines on the Pacific side will still be called the Philippine Sea as per published scientific documents.
Yumul, supervising undersecretary of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the government has been using the West Philippine Sea to assert the country’s claims over the Spratly Islands in the region being disputed with five other nations, including China.
The Chinese government earlier reiterated that there is nothing to claim on Spratly Islands, which they call the Nansha, since it is rightfully theirs.
Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao urged rival claimants to the disputed Spratly island group to stop searching for oil in the contested region without permission from China.
The oil-rich Spratlys are claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.