Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday, July 10, said the military will increase patrols not only in the country's northern waters but across all maritime areas after Chinese scholars claimed that Batanes belongs to China.

Teodoro said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would sustain a broader presence in the country's maritime domain to prevent attempts by certain groups to question Philippine sovereignty.

“We will increase our patrols in all areas. In all areas. Mind you, even in the Pacific Ocean and in the Philippine Rise, we need to do that because once we are remiss in that, then somebody else may claim ownership over it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Stratbase Institute forum marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award in Makati City.

Chinese scholars, during a June 30 symposium at Jinan University in Guangzhou, claimed that Batanes is a “natural geographical extension” of Taiwan and therefore falls under China's sovereignty. The symposium was reported by Guangdong News, an English language news portal owned by the Guangdong provincial government.

The scholars argued that historical records from the Ming and Qing dynasties allegedly placed Batanes under Taiwan's jurisdiction. They also claimed that the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1946 Treaty of Manila excluded the province from Philippine territory as they urged the international community to recognize China's so-called “historical and legal basis” for sovereignty over Batanes.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to say whether Beijing officially supports the position of the scholars.

But Teodoro said the country should strongly push back against the claim, warning that these assertions are a dangerous form of “salami slicing” in the information domain aimed at manufacturing a pretext for future expansion.

Salami slicing is a strategy in which territorial or political objectives are pursued through a series of small, gradual actions instead of one overt move. Each step appears limited on its own but collectively advances a broader goal over time.

“Naturally, we should strongly push back against that. Number one, it is not only against international law, it is not only against our Constitution, it also goes against common sense,” he said.

He then mocked the authors of the claim, saying that whoever came up with such should be referred to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa “to find out what is wrong with him.”

“I think there is really something wrong. If people believe that, then society has a systemic dysfunction. That claim is an unbelievable fantasy. I do not know what medicine they took. Maybe the medicine was also made in China. I hope it does not get brought here,” the defense chief stated.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo SL Oban Jr. said the government views the reports with “serious concern” but stressed that the country's sovereignty over Batanes is beyond dispute.

“There is no ambiguity on this matter. Batanes is an integral and indivisible part of the Republic of the Philippines,” Oban said in a statement.

“The claim that Batanes belongs to China has no merit. But from a national security perspective, we cannot ignore how false narratives can be repeated to manufacture ambiguity where none exists,” he added.

He shared that the government would not entertain any discussion over Batanes' status.

“Batanes is, and will always remain, an integral and indivisible part of the Republic of the Philippines. There is no dispute to settle, no claim to negotiate, and no ambiguity to resolve,” Oban noted.

The AFP also rejected the claim over Batanes, saying what the Chinese scholars issued was a state-backed disinformation effort.

“The AFP categorically rejects and dismisses the baseless assertion from a state sanctioned symposia in China claiming that the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes belongs to Beijing as a geographical extension of Taiwan,” said AFP spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea, retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad.

“We view this latest disinformation as salami slicing in the information domain. It is the systematic manufacturing of false historical and legal narratives intended to desensitize the international community, gradually alter the status quo and establish a pretext for future expansion,” he added.