We should stop referring to that portion of the Spratly as ours because of the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. It was the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that we ratified in 1982 where we got our right to have the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). To recall, it was then-Senator Arturo Tolentino, our leading expert on the law of the sea, that formulated our territorial waters; that islands separated beyond 12 miles is still considered part of our internal waters with outward limitation not to exceed 200 miles. That decision was done to comply with UNCLOS which we incorporated in our Constitution. Then-Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza aptly called it the “Philippine Archipelagic Doctrine”, to quote: “...all waters, around between and connecting different islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago, irrespective of their width or dimension, are necessary appurtenances of its land territory, forming an integral part of the national or inland waters, subject to the exclusive sovereignty of the Philippines.”

Kapunan, R. P. (2021, April 17). Ratcheting up trouble in the South China Sea. Manila Standard, p. B1.