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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Batanes solon says China claim over province 'an affront' to Pinoy identity

Batanes solon says China claim over province 'an affront' to Pinoy identity

Published Jul 10, 2026 09:12 am

At A Glance

  • Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. rejects Chinese scholars' claim that Batanes belongs to China, calling it an affront to Filipino identity.
  • He asserts Batanes is a province of the Philippines, with Ivatans as Filipinos affirmed by history, law, and the Constitution.
  • Gato stresses absolute Philippine sovereignty over the islands as the nation nears the 10th anniversary of its arbitral victory against China.
Flags of the Philippines (left), China (Unsplash)
Flags of the Philippines (left), China (Unsplash)


An affront to the identity of Filipinos.
That's how Batanes lone district Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. described the claim made by Chinese scholars that the his province--located in the nothernmost part of the Philippines--was an extension of Taiwan, and therefore belonged to China.
"Any challenge to our status is not merely a geopolitical provocation; it is an affront to our identity that we will not tolerate," Gato said in a statement Friday, July 10.
"I view with grave concern recent claims made during an academic symposium in China asserting that Batanes is a natural geographical extension of Taiwan with sovereignty belonging to China," he noted.
The veteran lawmaker stated incontrovertibly that Batanes was a province of the Republic of the Philippines.
"The Ivatans are Filipinos. These are enduring truths established by history, affirmed by our Constitution and laws, and embodied in the identity and collective experience of our people," he said.
"We treat any insinuation that seeks to question or undermine the absolute sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines over our islands with utmost gravity.
"We have always known who we are. Our allegiance is to the Republic of the Philippines—now and always," Gato further said.
The Philippines is about to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its landmark July 12, 2016 arbitral case victory from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. The ruling invalidated China’s sweeping nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea.

Related Tags

China Batanes PHILIPPINES Ciriaco Gato Jr.
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