A prophet is not honored in his own country. In 2021, retired Justice Francis H. Jardeleza proposed the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Baselines bill implementing the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award (SCS AA) ruling. Pursuant to the AA, each of the legal rocks or high tide elevations (HTEs) in the WPS that we claim as ours should be specifically identified by name and coordinates, and given baselines to mark the territorial sea (TS) they generate. Why? Evidence of intention to claim islands à titre de souverain (under sovereign title) “is an essential element of the process of consolidation of title” (Eritrea/Yemen, 1998). Territorial claims must specifically mention rather than make general references “to the islands” (para. 241, Phase 1), by public legislation regulating activity on disputed islands with specificity (Nicaragua/Colombia,2012; Burkina Faso/Republic of Mali, 1986).

Loja, M., & Bagares, R. (2024, November 18). Some ironic twists in the South China Sea. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.