By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter
THE PHILIPPINES should develop a clear national narrative on its sea dispute with China to boost its claim, a former Supreme Court justice said on Thursday.
Having a clear historical and legal narrative would let Filipinos and the international community define when the country started claiming some of the disputed maritime features in the South China Sea, former Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio told a news briefing.
“We don’t have a common narrative on why we are claiming sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands,” he said in Filipino. “We have different stories. We don’t have a common historical, legal and factual narrative.”
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital waterway for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Mr. Carpio said the Philippine government should start crafting a national narrative so it could challenge Beijing’s historical account on the South China Sea. “China has its own historical narrative, and they are consistent with it.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comment.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs, National Historical Commission, Department of Education (DepEd) and national security adviser should sit down and settle our narrative, when we began claiming it,” Mr. Carpio said.
“I’m recommending we start with the 1734 Pedro Murillo Velarde map… showing that we have claimed Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands since 1734,” he added.
The centuries-old map served as the Spanish government’s official Philippine chart when Manila was a colony of Madrid, according to a presentation uploaded on the Philippine Institute for Development Studies website.
The Philippines used it as evidence during arbitration proceedings against China before a United Nations-backed tribunal in the Hague. The arbitration court in 2016 voided China’s claim based on the 1940s nine-dash line map for being illegal.
“We have differing narratives, leading foreign legal scholars to say that we have the weakest stake as they can’t pin our basis for the claim,” Mr. Carpio said.
“A compelling national narrative is one that is not just crafted by policymakers but embraced by the people,” Karl Patrick R. Mendoza, an associate professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ Department of Communication Research, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.
“It should be rooted in historical truth, communicated effectively across platforms and championed consistently across administrations,” he added.
He said the Philippines should communicate its narrative in a way that resonates globally, emphasizing not just legal rights but also broader principles such as upholding international law, freedom of navigation and regional stability.
“Strategic storytelling, amplified through media, diplomacy and cultural exchanges can reinforce the legitimacy of our claims and counter disinformation,” he added.
Also on Thursday, party-list group Akbayan, which is vying for a congressional seat in the May 12 elections, urged Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to issue an executive order requiring the country’s education agencies to develop a school curriculum showcasing the country’s claim in the South China Sea.
“The executive order should require… educational institutions to collaborate with legal experts, historians, geographers and maritime scholars to develop a curriculum that comprehensively covers the… Philippines’ claim to the West Philippine Sea,” Rafaela David, president of Akbayan, said in the same media briefing, referring to areas of the waterway within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Congress should also craft a law establishing a West Philippine Sea Institute that would serve as the country’s think tank and research hub for matters concerning the South China Sea, she added.
