Aquino signs order on West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has officially named the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippines, where the disputed Scarborough Shoal and Kalayaan Island Group area located, as the "West Philippine Sea."

"By virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and by law, do hereby order... The maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago are hereby named as the West Philippine Sea," President Aquino said in Administrative Order No. 29, signed last September 5.

The AO states that areas included in the West Philippine Sea are 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."

China and the Philippines are currently dispute over the ownership of Bajo de Masinloc also called Panatag Shoal.

Tension between the two sparked last April after a Philippine Navy ship caught Chinese fishermen poaching in the shoal. As the Philippine Navy personnel attempted to arrest the Chinese fishermen, three Chinese maritime ships intervened.

The Philippine government and the Department of Foreign Affairs have been referring to the area as the West Philippine Sea instead of South China Sea.

The AO said "The naming of the West Philippine Sea is without prejudice to the determination of the maritime domain over territories which the Republic of the Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction."

Aquino ordered the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) to produce and publish charts and maps of the Philippines reflecting the West Philippine Sea.

He also ordered all government agencies to use the map that will be produced by NAMRIA.

"The Philippine Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in consultation with NAMRIA and other appropriate government agencies, shall deposit, at the appropriate time, a copy of this Order enclosing the official map reflecting the West Philippines Sea with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and notify accordingly relevant international organizations, such as the International Hydrographic Organization and the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names," the order said.

The President also ordered all government agencies to "employ the name West Philippine Sea" in all documents, messages and communications.