Getting it Straight: An Unorthodox Sweeping
Getting it Straight: An Unorthodox Sweeping
February 3, 2026
Kiko Pangilinan’s claim that the West Philippine Sea (WPS) dispute is “already settled” is premature: the Philippines’ 2024–2025 submissions to the UN on an extended continental shelf and a revived Sabah note demonstrate active, contested legal and diplomatic processes—settlement requires negotiated agreement, which has not occurred.
Context and core facts
- Philippine submission to the CLCS (14 June 2024): The Philippines filed information under Article 76(8) UNCLOS seeking recognition of an extended continental shelf (ECS) beyond 200 nautical miles in the West Palawan region, a technical claim to seabed rights distinct from sovereignty over maritime features. .
- Sabah/North Borneo diplomatic note (March 2025): Manila reiterated historical claims over North Borneo (Sabah) in a note verbale to the UN, linking territorial assertions to maritime entitlements. This revived claim has been rejected by neighboring states and complicates multilateral acceptance. .
- Responses by neighbors: Vietnam, China, and Malaysia publicly rejected Manila’s expanded maritime assertions, underscoring that unilateral submissions do not equate to multilateral settlement. .
Legal versus political settlement
- Legal recognition of an ECS by the CLCS is a technical, scientific process that establishes seabed limits for continental-shelf rights; it does not adjudicate sovereignty over islands, nor resolve overlapping maritime claims among states. .
- Diplomatic settlement requires negotiation, agreement, or adjudication accepted by all parties. Where other claimants reject a submission, the claim remains contested and subject to bilateral or multilateral diplomacy, arbitration, or adjudicative processes.
Why “settled” is misleading
- Unilateral acts (submissions, notes) do not create binding settlement. They are instruments to advance a state’s legal position and to seek technical validation; they can provoke counterclaims and diplomatic pushback. .
- Regional geopolitics and overlapping claims—especially involving China’s nine-dash assertions, Vietnam’s and Malaysia’s maritime positions, and the Philippines’ own historical claims—mean that settlement is inherently negotiated and contingent. .
Implications for policy and public discourse
- Precision in public statements matters. Political leaders should distinguish between technical submissions (CLCS/ECS) and diplomatic settlement (treaties, negotiated agreements, or accepted adjudication). Mischaracterizing the status risks public misunderstanding and weakens negotiating leverage.
- Pathways to genuine settlement include sustained bilateral talks, multilateral frameworks, confidence-building measures, and, where accepted, third‑party adjudication. Each requires consent and reciprocity—absent which, claims remain unresolved.
Conclusion
The Philippines’ CLCS filing and the Sabah note are significant legal-diplomatic moves but do not constitute a settled WPS dispute. Settlement in international relations is a process of negotiation and mutual acceptance; until rival claimants engage and reach agreement, the matter remains open, contested, and subject to further diplomacy.
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As a 2003 Starr Foundation Grantee, Roldan participated in a transformative ten-month fellowship in the United States. This opportunity allowed him to observe contemporary art movements, engage with an international community of artists and curators, and develop a new body of work that bridges local and global perspectives.
Featured Work: Bridges Beyond Borders
His featured work, Bridges Beyond Borders: ACC's Global Cultural Collaboration, has been chosen as the visual identity for the newly launched ACC Global Alumni Network.
Symbol of Connection: The piece represents a private collaborative space designed to unite over 6,000 ACC alumni across various disciplines and regions.
Artistic Vision: The work embodies the ACC's core mission of advancing international dialogue and cultural exchange to foster a more harmonious world.
Legacy of Excellence: By serving as the face of this initiative, Roldan’s art highlights the enduring impact of the ACC fellowship on his career and his role in the global artistic community.
Just featured at https://www.pressenza.com/2026/01/the-asian-cultural-council-global-alumni-network-amiel-gerald-a-roldan/
Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ curatorial writing practice exemplifies this path: transforming grief into infrastructure, evidence into agency, and memory into resistance. As the Philippines enters a new economic decade, such work is not peripheral—it is foundational.
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A multidisciplinary Filipino artist, poet, researcher, and cultural worker whose practice spans painting, printmaking, photography, installation, and writing. He is deeply rooted in cultural memory, postcolonial critique, and in bridging creative practice with scholarly infrastructure—building counter-archives, annotating speculative poetry like Southeast Asian manuscripts, and fostering regional solidarity through ethical art collaboration.
Recent show at ILOMOCA
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Amiel Gerald A. Roldan™ started Independent Curatorial Manila™ as a nonprofit philantrophy while working for institutions simultaneosly early on.
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