MANILA — The Philippine government on Friday firmly rejected claims by supposed Chinese scholars that Batanes belongs to China through Taiwan, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), a Batanes lawmaker, and the Department of National Defense asserting that the island province’s status as Philippine territory is settled, unquestionable, and not open to debate.
The strong response came after Guangdong-based media outlet Newsgd reported that Chinese scholars from several universities had concluded during an academic symposium that the Batanes Islands are a natural geographical extension of Taiwan and that sovereignty over the province belongs to China.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Analyn Ratonel dismissed the assertions outright, saying the Philippines would not recognize what she described as revisionist claims over its territory.
“Flights of fancy should not be dignified with a response. Nevertheless, the Philippines’ sovereignty over Batanes is settled and not up for debate,” Ratonel said.
“The Philippines will not entertain revisionist claims over its territory and calls on so-called scholars to focus their energies on genuine, good-faith studies of the region,” she added.
Ratonel also noted that the approved consular district of the Chinese Consulate General in Laoag includes Batanes, reinforcing China’s own recognition of the province as part of Philippine territory.
Batanes Rep. Ciriaco Gato Jr. likewise condemned the claims, warning that they distort established historical and legal facts.
“I view with grave concern recent claims made during an academic symposium in China asserting that Batanes is a natural geographical extension of Taiwan with sovereignty belonging to China,” Gato said in a statement issued Friday.
He emphasized that Batanes has always been an integral part of the Philippines and that the Ivatan people have always identified themselves as Filipinos.
“Batanes is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The Ivatans are Filipinos. These are enduring truths established by history, affirmed by our Constitution and laws, and embodied in the identity and collective experience of our people,” he said.
Gato also warned against any attempt to cast doubt on Philippine sovereignty over the northernmost province.
“We treat any insinuation that seeks to question or undermine the absolute sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines over our islands with utmost gravity. Any challenge to our status is not merely a geopolitical provocation; it is an affront to our identity that we will not tolerate,” he said.
Reaffirming the loyalty of his constituents, Gato declared:
“We have always known who we are. Our allegiance is to the Republic of the Philippines—now and always,” he said.
In a separate statement, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also dismissed the Chinese scholars’ assertions, describing them as “disinformation” and “outlandish narratives.”/PN
