The Philippines’ territorial claim to the Spratlys is limited only to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), as formalized in Presidential Decree No. 1596 and clarified in Republic Act No. 9522. China’s and Vietnam’s territorial claims cover the entire Spratlys. Malaysia’s territorial claim is limited to a few high tide-features off the coast of Borneo, while Brunei’s territorial claim is solely to Louisa Reef off the coast of Brunei. The Philippines never claimed the entire Spratlys, a collection of high-tide features situated off the coast of Palawan and Borneo facing the South China Sea. Last month, Rep. Ann K. Hofer filed House Bill No. 9835 and Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte filed HB 9662. These two House bills are verbatim reproductions of the draft bill proposed by retired Justice Francis Jardeleza and lawyers Melissa Loja and Romel Bagares. These three lawyers claim that their proposed bill is an inexpensive and effective means of enforcing the Arbitral Award of July 12, 2016.

Carpio, A. T. (2021, August 9). Spratlys vs KIG. Panay News, pp. 7, 14.