MANILA: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has reaffirmed the Philippines’ claim over Sabah amid renewed discussion over a 2012 Philippine map depicting the contested territory, the
Philippine News Agency reported.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pasay City on Friday (Feb 20), DFA maritime affairs spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva said the country maintains its sovereignty claim over Sabah, which is currently administered by Malaysia.
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He said the enactment of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act of 2024, Republic Act 12064, did not repeal Section 2 of Republic Act 5446, which defines the baselines of the territorial zones of the Philippine archipelago and is without prejudice to the Philippines’ existing and valid claims on a portion of North Borneo.
The National Mapping and Resource Information Authority earlier clarified how the country’s maritime zones in the West Philippine Sea are reflected on official maps, citing its 2012 administrative map.
Villanueva explained that the depiction of Sabah in the cartograph, intended to illustrate the Philippines’ different regions, provides a geographic approximation of North Borneo in relation to the main Philippine archipelago.
On the West Philippine Sea, he said the DFA will coordinate with the mapping authority on the release of a new map incorporating the 2016 Arbitral Award and the 2024 Maritime Zones Act.
He said submission of the map to the United Nations is an administrative requirement to inform other states and does not determine the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and maritime entitlements.
Villanueva added that the DFA will continue to protect the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea through effective and principled diplomacy.
