Tech Giant Google LLC’s decision to label a part of the South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea” is a symbolic win for the Philippines in its sea dispute with China, according to a diplomacy expert. “This move by Google further legitimizes our sole rights over the disputed [waters],” Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde in Manila, told BusinessWorld in a Facebook Messenger chat on Tuesday. “Given that Google is a US-based entity, it is not surprising anymore that such initiatives will be undertaken in light of the fact that the Trump regime greatly supports the Philippines in its quest for exclusive rights as promulgated through a 2016 arbitral ruling,” he added.

Hufana, C. M. A., & Basilio, K. C. L. (2025, April 16). Google’s ‘West Philippine Sea’ label boosts Philippines’ maritime claim. BusinessWorld, p. S1/14.