Senator Risa Hontiveros has formally joined the “West Philippine Sea bloc” in the 20th Congress, becoming the alliance’s lone voice in the Senate.
The announcement was made during the bloc’s official launch held alongside a thanksgiving dinner for Atin Ito’s third civilian mission in the West Philippine Sea.
The group is composed of six lawmakers from the House of Representatives: Akbayan party-list Reps. Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismula; Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao; Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima; and Albay 1st District Rep. Krisel Lagman-Luistro.
The bloc has already filed measures that include a resolution seeking a congressional inquiry into sister city agreements between the Philippines and China. Other legislative proposals call for declaring July 12 — the date of the 2016 arbitral victory — as “National West Philippine Sea Victory Day,” and integrating West Philippine Sea history and geography into the country’s educational curriculum.
The coalition’s launch comes shortly after the ninth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling, which upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights over areas within its exclusive economic zone and nullified China’s sweeping claims based on its then nine-dash line, now expanded to ten.
The ruling stemmed from a case filed by the Philippine government in 2013 under the leadership of the late President Benigno Aquino III, following the tense standoff with China over Panatag Shoal.
Despite the international legal win, Beijing has continued its aggressive actions in the disputed waters, targeting Filipino coast guard personnel, navy vessels, and fishermen operating in the area.
