On Monday, the Philippines made a strong move to protect its rights over Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea. Authorities raised the Philippine flag on the small island to challenge China’s claim that it had taken control of the area.
The Philippine military, also known as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that the flag-raising was important because it showed that the Philippines is in charge of Sandy Cay, which is part of a group of islands near Pag-asa Island. These islands are part of the Palawan province, located in the western part of the country, right in the West Philippine Sea. The AFP said this action was to remind everyone that the Philippines has full control over the area, which is within 12 nautical miles of Pag-asa Island.
The move was also in response to a statement by China’s Coast Guard. On April 25, 2025, China claimed that it had control over Pag-asa Cay 2, one of the islands in the same region. The Philippines disagreed with this claim and said that the photos released by the Chinese Coast Guard didn’t match what was really happening in the area.
The flag-raising ceremony took place as part of a big effort by several Philippine agencies working together, including the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group. They all worked together during a maritime operation to visit the different Pag-asa Cays, which are small islands in the West Philippine Sea.
Earlier, the Chinese Coast Guard had made a claim about what happened on Sandy Cay. A spokesperson for China, Liu Dejun, said that six people from the Philippines had “illegally boarded” Sandy Cay, which China calls “Tiexian Reef.” Liu also said that the Chinese Coast Guard had warned the Filipino personnel but that they still went ahead. According to the Chinese statement, the Coast Guard had to step in and investigate the situation.
However, the Philippines denied these claims. The Philippine Navy said that the Chinese statement was not true. They believed that China was just trying to distract the public from other important issues, like reports about Chinese spies and a troll farm allegedly hired by the Chinese Embassy in Manila in 2023.
The Philippines’ actions show how serious the country is about protecting its territory, especially in the busy and disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.
