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Philippines to rename disputed South China Sea islands to boost ‘sovereignty’

The Philippines said on Tuesday it will rename more than 100 island features in a bid to reinforce its “sovereignty” in the disputed South China…

By Samantha Johnson / March 31, 2026
The Philippines said on Tuesday it will rename more than 100 island features in a bid to reinforce its “sovereignty” in the disputed South China Sea, including areas claimed by China.
The features to be renamed under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s executive order belong to the Spratly archipelago, site of repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels.

Beijing claims the South China Sea in nearly its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

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Manila most prominently used the renaming mechanism in 2012 under the Benigno Aquino administration, when it dubbed areas of the crucial waterway nearest its coast the West Philippine Sea.

“More than 100 Kalayaan Island Group features will have Philippine names … which strengthens administration and governance, as well as sovereignty, in Palawan and the West Philippine Sea,” the presidential palace said in a Tuesday statement.

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The executive order directs all government agencies as well as schools to begin using the new names, which have yet to be revealed.

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