A report attributed to Jinan University that claimed the Philippines’ Batanes Islands belonged to China appears to have been quietly removed from the university’s website, after drawing sharp criticism from Philippine officials and public outrage online. The deletion came without a public retraction, correction, or explanation, even as nearly identical text remained accessible on several Chinese state-linked platforms.

MANILA — On the 10th anniversary of the PCA award, the Philippines stood at the center of a renewed chorus calling the ruling “final and binding,” using legal victory as both shield and lever in a neighborhood reshaped by naval build‑up and strategic hedging. The 14‑nation statement backing Manila’s win reflected the country’s success in translating a complex UNCLOS arbitration into enduring diplomatic capital.

On 12 July 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) issued a landmark award in The Republic of the Philippines v. The People’s Republic of China. The tribunal held that China’s claims to historic rights within the “nine-dash line” had no lawful effect beyond entitlements available under UNCLOS, and it found multiple Chinese actions unlawful vis-à-vis the Philippines’ rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to sustain external defense operations as Manila confronts continuing security challenges in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said. The instruction comes as the government sharpens its defense posture and keeps its plans quiet while adjusting to fast-changing regional threats.

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese scholars’ reported claim that the Batanes Islands belong to China through Taiwan has no basis in Philippine law and runs against long-standing Philippine sovereignty over the northern island chain. Philippine officials have repeatedly said Batanes is part of the country and that Manila has every right to strengthen its defenses there.

Article by J. Salazar Published on July 9, 2026 04:30PM A China Coast Guard vessel patrols the vibrant blue waters as smaller boats navigate nearby The Philippines has firmly rejected claims that it undermines efforts toward stability in the West Philippine Sea, insisting that its statements and actions, centered on sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc (Internationally known as Scarborough Shoal or Huangyan Dao in China), are entirely consistent with international law and aimed

The 12 July 2016 Award rendered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague determined that China’s claims of historic rights within the South China Sea, as represented by its so-called nine-dash line, have no legal basis under international law.