West Philippine Sea

(wikipedia, 2019)
West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the Philippine government of eastern parts
of the South China Sea which are included in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The term is
also sometimes used to refer to the south cina sea as a whole.
Background
The first use of the term "West Philippine Sea" by the Philippine government was as early as 2011
during the administration of then-President Benigno Aquino III.[1] The naming was intended as
symbolic gesture to dispute the China's sovereignty claim over the whole South China Sea.[2]
In September 2012, the Philippine government announced that it would start using the name to refer
to waters west of the Philippines as "West Philippine Sea" in government maps, other forms of
communication and documents.[1]
Legal scope

The maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago are hereby named as the West
Philippine Sea. These areas include the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around within the adjacent
to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

— Sec. 1, Administrative Order No. 29 (2012)[3]

In Philippine law, the West Philippine Sea refers to only portions of the South China Sea
particularly parts of the sea which the Philippine government claims to be part of the country's
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The naming of the area became official through Administrative
Order No. 29 issued by then-President Benigno Aquino III on September 5, 2012. The order also
cites Presidential Decree No. 1599 which was issued in 1978 during the tenure of then President
Ferdinand Marcos which established the Philippine EEZ as well as the Republic Act No. 9522 or the
Baselines Law which was enacted into law in 2009 during the administration of then-President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo which delineated the baselines of the Philippine archipelago.[4]
The administrative order asserts the Philippine claim over its EEZ in the South China Sea
which conveys the Philippine government's position that it has sovereign rights under the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over the West Philippine Sea area and "inherent
power and right to designate its maritime areas with appropriate nomenclature for purposes of the
national mapping system".[4]There is no exact demarcation for the area in the South China Sea
which forms the West Philippine Sea.[2]
Usage
Under the Administrative Order No. 29, the National Mapping and Resource Information
Authority is mandated to use the designation West Philippine Sea in maps produced and published
by the government agency. Other government agencies are also required to used the term to
popularized the use of the name domestically and internationally.[4]

Prior to the issuance of the order, the Philippines' weather bureau, PAGASA, adopted the
name in 2011 to refer to waters west of the country while remained using "Philippine Sea" to refer
waters east of the archipelago.[5]o sometimes used to refer to the South China Sea as a whole.