Overview
- The Department of Foreign Affairs said on March 16 it will not speculate on a document of uncertain origin and reaffirmed the Philippines' indivisible and longstanding sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc and the Kalayaan Island Group.
- The Chinese Embassy on March 14 posted what it said was a Feb. 2, 1990 letter from the Philippine Embassy in Bonn stating Scarborough Shoal was outside Philippine territorial sovereignty but within the country's exclusive economic zone.
- The circulated document appears to bear the signature of then ambassador Bienvenido Tan Jr and is addressed to German HAM radio operator Dieter Loffler, though Manila has questioned its authenticity.
- The DFA stressed that sovereignty and maritime claims must be assessed through international legal procedures, citing the Philippines' position established through the 2016 arbitral award.
- The 2016 ruling invalidated China's nine-dash line, found violations of Philippine sovereign rights in its EEZ, and recognized Scarborough as a traditional fishing ground, as Manila reiterates that engagement with Beijing is not concession.