Philippines West Philippine Sea initiatives

In late July 2026 the Philippines formally lodged a partial extended continental shelf claim for the West Palawan area of the West Philippine Sea with the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The filing, led by Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, invoked Article 76 of UNCLOS and referenced the 2016 arbitral award that affirmed Philippine sovereign rights, seeking rights over seabed and subsoil resources beyond its exclusive economic zone.

A week later, Philippine lawmakers introduced the West Philippine Sea Education Act (House Bill No. 10587) to integrate teaching about the disputed waters into all levels of the national curriculum. The bill tasks the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education and several security and mapping agencies with developing content based on UNCLOS and the 2016 award. The legislative move followed recent Chinese Coast Guard actions near Scarborough Shoal and reflects Manila’s broader strategy of reinforcing its claims through both international legal channels and domestic awareness, while noting support from the United States, Japan and European partners.