The Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea is part of the country’s territory, a maritime law expert said on Wednesday, May 12, debunking Presidential spokesman Harry Roque’s claims that it is not part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Professor Jay Batongbacal, director of the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the Julian Felipe Reef, which Chinese vessels swarmed last March, is within the Philippine territory.

“Ang Julian Felipe Reef po ay 175 nautical miles mula sa Rizal sa ating EEZ, kasi 200 nautical miles yung EEZ eh, so 175 ito (The Julian Felipe Reef is 175 nautical miles from Rizal to our EEZ, because the EEZ is 200 nautical miles, and it's 175),” Batongbacal said in an interview over Super Radyo dzBB on Wednesday, May 12.

The maritime law expert said that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) have been consistent in asserting in the reef, where the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducted maritime exercises last April.

“Sinasabi rin ng DFA at NTF-WPS parte siya ng Kalayaan Island Group na kung titignan natin nakalagay or nakadescribe po yung area ng Kalayaan Island Group doon po sa Presidential Decree 1596 na noon pang 1978 (The DFA and NTF-WPS also said that it is part of the Kalayaan Island Group that if we look at the area of the Kalayaan Island Group, it is listed and included in Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978),” Batongbacal said.

“Ayon po sa decree na ‘yun lahat po ng isla at iba pang mga maritime features na sa loob ng Kalayaan Island Group nasa loob po nun yung Julian Felipe Reef kaya parte po siya ng Kalayaan Island Group na atin naman pong ginawang parte ng Palawan na parte po ng teritoryo natin (According to the decree, all the islands and other maritime features within the Kalayaan Island Group whereas the Julian Felipe Reef is part of it, which the group was made part of the Palawan territory),” he added.

Late President Ferdinand Marcos issued the Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978, which specified the part of Kalayaan Island Group and created the Kalayaan Municipality as part of Palawan province.

In a press briefing, Roque downplayed the swarming of Chinese ships at the Julian Felipe Reef as he claimed that it is already outside the Philippine territory.

This prompted Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.to issue a “last warning” against those who “talked tough and ended up biting dirt”, in an apparent dig at Roque regarding the Philippine stand on Julian Felipe Reef.

Last March, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said the Coast Guard authorities reported 220 Chinese fishing vessels were spotted “moored in line formation” at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.

During the maritime exercises and sovereignty patrols, the PCG ships drove away seven foreign ships believed to be manned by Chinese militias from the Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on April 27.