The Philippine government has dismissed claims saying that Palawan is part of China as it continues to fight disinformation on social media.
In an X post, the Philippine Navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre said: “Let’s be clear: Palawan has always been, is, and will remain a part of the Philippines. It is not disputed. It is not up for debate. It is internationally recognized as sovereign
Philippine territory—something even Beijing’s aggressive cartography can’t alter.”
The BRP Sierra Madre posted the following in response to a social media image showing China’s dash lines in the South China Sea, which now include Palawan.
“Here we go again—China’s never-ending ‘map expansion’ DLC, now featuring Palawan. Apparently, when China runs out of fake historical claims in the South China Sea, the next best thing is to claim an entire Philippine province.”
The BRP Sierra Madre also shared images that depicted China’s claim over Palawan, claiming the province was “managed” by China for thousands of years and renamed it Zheng He Island.
The BRP Sierra Madre emphasized that Palawan is non-negotiable, and no amount of state-sponsored propaganda will change that.
During the Philippines-Japan bilateral meeting in Manila on Monday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that the country looks forward to discussions aimed at strengthening the partnership to counter China’s attempts to alter the international order and narratives.
Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela earlier warned that Filipino pro-China vloggers are also actively spreading disinformation to distort the realities of the WPS.
Speaking at the House Tri Comm, Tarriela underscored the need to hold online influencers—including trolls and political vloggers—accountable for misleading content that weakens national unity and benefits foreign interests.
He identified disinformation as one of the biggest threats to the Philippine government’s efforts in the WPS, second only to China’s direct aggression.
He said disinformation “obscures the true narrative of events in the West Philippine Sea, leading to confusion and division among our people.”
The PCG official explained that a false sense of security was created during the previous administration, when the public was led to believe that the WPS situation was under control and that China had eased its aggressive actions.
A recent survey conducted by OCTA Research revealed that 84 percent of Filipinos support the national government’s efforts to defend and assert maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.
Additionally, seven out of 10 Filipinos are unlikely to support pro-China candidates in the 2025 midterm elections, indicating that efforts to expose disinformation have been effective, Tarriela said.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story attributed the supervision of BRP Sierra Madre to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). It is under the management of Philippine Navy. The information has been corrected.