MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard and the Chinese Embassy exchanged sharp arguments over the relevance of an 1875 Spanish-era map in Manila’s claims in the West Philippine Sea.

On March 29, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, cited the 1875 Carta General del Archipiélago Filipino as a key document supporting the Philippines’ position over disputed features such as “Los Bajos de Paragua” (Spratly Islands) and “Panacot,” identified as Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal. The historical map, originally prepared during the Spanish colonial period, was later republished by the United States for administrative and military purposes.

“This map strengthens the historical basis for the Philippines’ position over these features, as it was later adopted and reissued by the United States War Department after the Spanish-American War,” Tarriela said.

However, Chinese embassy spokesperson Guo Wei dismissed the claims, arguing the map was “merely a geographical map” with no indication of sovereignty or political boundaries. Wei also cited the 1928 Island of Palmas arbitration, which rejected the Spanish-era map due to the absence of boundary markings, and challenged the identification of “Panacot” with Bajo de Masinloc.

On March 30, Tarriela pushed back, stating the map helped inform the Treaty of Paris and the Treaty of Washington, which transferred the Philippines from Spain to the United States. He also rejected China’s use of the Island of Palmas case, calling it unrelated to the WPS dispute.

“The 2016 Arbitral Award under UNCLOS already settled the legal status: China’s ‘historic rights’ claims beyond its lawful maritime zones have no legal basis. The Philippines is not ‘distorting history’ — we are defending it with treaties, official maps, and international law,” Tarriela said.

He emphasized that diplomacy must be based on facts and the rule of law, stating: “We remain committed to dialogue and diplomacy based on UNCLOS and the 2016 Award. But diplomacy requires acknowledging facts, not rewriting them to justify continued harassment of our fishermen and Coast Guard in our own exclusive economic zone.”

Full story: GMA News