Philippines formally names 'West Philippine Sea'

The Philippine government has formally named the maritime area in the western part of the country as the "West Philippine Sea" , including part of the South China Sea, and ordered concerned agencies to take necessary steps arising from the move, the presidential palace announced Wednesday.

This was done through the Administrative Order (AO) 29 signed by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Sept. 5, but announced on Wednesday.

According to the AO, "the West Philippine Sea" includes the Luzon Sea as well as the waters around, within and adjacent to Nansha Islands, called "Kalayaan" by the Philippines and Huangyan Island, or "Bajo De Masinloc" used by the Philippines.

Aquino ordered the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria) to produce and publish charts and maps of the Philippines reflecting the "West Philippine Sea" in accordance with the AO.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is also instructed to furnish a copy of the order and official map to the secretary-general of the United Nations and notify other international organizations, such as the International Hydrographic Organization and the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.

"All departments, subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities of the Government are enjoined to use the official Philippine maps produced and published by Namria in accordance with this Order," the AO stated.

The Department of Education (DepEd), state universities and colleges (SUCs) were ordered to issue circulars requiring the use of the official Philippine maps in relevant subjects, researches and instructional materials such as text books, instructional materials, and audio-visual presentations.