Malacañang on Tuesday asserted that the Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc remains part of the country’s territories following China’s latest attempt to claim jurisdiction over the area. In a brief statement, Acting Presidential Spokesman Martin M. Andanar said a triangular shaped chain of reefs and rocks falls within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) close to the municipality of Masinloc in Zambales. “The Philippine position is that we continue to exercise full sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc and its territorial sea, as well as sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the surrounding EEZ and continental shelf,” Andanar said.

Medenilla, S. P., & Talosig-Bartolome, M. (2022, March 30). As China bristles, PHL asserts ‘full sovereignty’ over Bajo de Masinloc. Business Mirror, p. A16.