NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
PCG Calls Out Recycled Narrative As China Revives Scarborough Claim
Photo credit: Jay Tarriela
Another round of claims is making waves in the West Philippine Sea, but the Philippine Coast Guard says this one is far from new.
Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, PCG's spokesperson for West Philippine Sea concerns, has raised concern over what he described as a renewed attempt by the People’s Republic of China to mislead the public by bringing back a decades-old document linked to Scarborough Shoal.
The document in question is a supposed 1990 letter attributed to Ambassador Bienvenido A. Tan Jr.. China has been presenting it as proof that the Philippines conceded the shoal. But Philippine officials say that claim does not hold up under scrutiny.
The letter was not an official government statement. It was informal correspondence sent to a German radio hobbyist. While it mentioned that the shoal lies outside the limits defined by the Treaty of Paris (1898), it also clearly stated that the area falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
That distinction matters. It shows there was no surrender of sovereignty.
Legal experts have long pointed this out. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio explained that an ambassador has no authority to give up or decide on national territory. Under international law, only a head of state or foreign minister can make binding declarations on sovereignty.
The claim also runs counter to the findings of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal ruling, which affirmed that Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines’ EEZ and rejected China’s sweeping historic rights claim under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
China had released the letter years ago, but its reappearance is now being viewed as a calculated move. For the PCG, presenting it as new evidence only adds to what they see as a pattern of selective narratives.
The position of the Philippines remains unchanged. China has never exercised legitimate sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc, and no recycled document can alter that fact.
Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, PCG's spokesperson for West Philippine Sea concerns, has raised concern over what he described as a renewed attempt by the People’s Republic of China to mislead the public by bringing back a decades-old document linked to Scarborough Shoal.
The document in question is a supposed 1990 letter attributed to Ambassador Bienvenido A. Tan Jr.. China has been presenting it as proof that the Philippines conceded the shoal. But Philippine officials say that claim does not hold up under scrutiny.
The letter was not an official government statement. It was informal correspondence sent to a German radio hobbyist. While it mentioned that the shoal lies outside the limits defined by the Treaty of Paris (1898), it also clearly stated that the area falls within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone.
That distinction matters. It shows there was no surrender of sovereignty.
Legal experts have long pointed this out. Retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio explained that an ambassador has no authority to give up or decide on national territory. Under international law, only a head of state or foreign minister can make binding declarations on sovereignty.
The claim also runs counter to the findings of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Tribunal ruling, which affirmed that Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines’ EEZ and rejected China’s sweeping historic rights claim under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
China had released the letter years ago, but its reappearance is now being viewed as a calculated move. For the PCG, presenting it as new evidence only adds to what they see as a pattern of selective narratives.
The position of the Philippines remains unchanged. China has never exercised legitimate sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc, and no recycled document can alter that fact.
Mar 16, 2026
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