The Philippines once again made a strong statement with regards to our claim to the disputed Spratlys island group by renaming the South China Sea to “West Philippine Sea.”

The Aquino government started using the terms “West Philippine Sea” yesterday when referring to waters west of the country where the Spratlys islands are located.

“The Republic of the Philippines has stated its position on the various territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea. We are committed to dialog with other claimants,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told the media yesterday.

“We call on all parties to refrain from inflammatory statements that would make it more difficult to reach a mutually agreeable solution,” he said.