Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano on Friday ridiculed President Rodrigo Duterte’s vow to deploy troops to unoccupied South China Sea islands and reefs claimed by the Philippines, saying nothing was left to grab in those disputed waters. Even assuming there were still uninhabited islands to occupy, he said, new occupation would constitute a violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in South China Sea, a pact signed by the Philippines but not by China. On Thursday, Mr. Duterte ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to deploy troops to unoccupied islands in the West Philippine Sea, a portion of the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines. He said he intended to plant a Philippine flag on Pagasa Island, the second-largest island in the Kalayaan group in the Spratlys region occupied by the Philippines.

Yap, D., Tubeza., P., & Salaverria, L. B. (2017, April 8). Occupy Spratly isles? too late. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A4.