MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recently released a pamphlet aimed to become an "accessible and comprehensible" material on the South China Sea as the country's dispute with China ensues.
In a statement, DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said the primer, titled "West Philippine Sea: Isang Sipat" comes in the national language, Filipino, "to further facilitate understanding by ordinary Filipinos."
"The current focus on the maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea has made it clear that we need to foster the ‘archipelagic consciousness’ among our people," Jose said.
He said that government hopes that the material will help foster understanding and build an "unshakeable will" to defend the country's maritime domain.
Parts of the South China Sea the Philippines claims within its exclusive economic zone has been locally called "West Philippine Sea."