Rep. Rodriguez urges China to respect PH claim over WPS

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez urged China to respect President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s declaration in his State of the Nation Address that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) belongs to the Philippines.

Rodriguez stated that China should accept and acknowledge the Philippines' rightful ownership of the WPS, emphasizing that the country is asserting its legal entitlements under international law.

He clarified that the Philippines claims only what is legally theirs, and China should respect this while also claiming what rightfully belongs to them.

The lawmaker highlighted that China's expansive territorial claims encroach upon areas far beyond its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Rodriguez specifically pointed to Ayungin Shoal off Palawan and Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) near Zambales and Pangasinan as examples of Philippine territories being claimed by China.