MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines was way ahead of China in claiming the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea, Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio said Monday. "In this (Murillo-Velarde) map, he included in Philippine national territory Scarborough Shoal but called it 'Panakot' because before 1734, that shoal was never given a name in any map," Carpio said. "There is no older map from China or from Vietnam showing that Scarborough Shoal was their territory. For Scarborough Shoal, China just copied the British maps and gave them transliterations of English names, the acting Chief Justice added. Carpio also noted that the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal were included in Philippine territory under the 1900 Treaty of Washington.

Source: Philippine Star November 26, 2018 06:41 UTC