The Philippines has formally endorsed Filipino names for 131 previously unnamed reefs, sandbars, and other maritime features in the West Philippine Sea, particularly within the contested Kalayaan Island Group.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo signed National Maritime Council (NMC) Resolution No. 002, which puts forward a standardized list of Philippine names for features located in the Spratly archipelago—an area long subject to overlapping claims, most notably from China.
The move is part of a broader national effort to reinforce the country’s presence and administrative control over maritime territories amid continued incursions and aggressive activity by foreign vessels.
“This is a clear step in affirming our sovereign rights,” the DFA said in a statement, noting that the standardized naming practice serves both legal and strategic purposes.
The practice of naming features in the Kalayaan Island Group began in 2020 when the local government of Kalayaan, Palawan, named six maritime features—Pag-asa Cay 1 to 4 and Pag-asa Reef 1 and 2—after Pag-asa Island, the remote township that serves as the administrative hub of the Philippine-claimed portion of the Spratlys.
The latest naming initiative was developed by the National Maritime Council, a multi-agency body created in 2024 through Executive Order No. 57 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The council is led by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and includes top officials from the Departments of National Defense, Agriculture, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, the DFA, and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
With this move, the government seeks to solidify its hold over vital maritime zones while also standardizing the language used in official maps, documents, and international engagements—a symbolic and practical step in defending Philippine interests in one of the world’s most contested maritime regions.
