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Scarborough Shoal is ours!: Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, during Monday’s plenary session, May 6, 2024, narrates that only during the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the Philippines has already filed 148 diplomatic protests against Chinese harrasment in the West Philippine Sea. In a lengthy discussion with the Department of Foreign Affairs officials, Villanueva said he was also informed that roughly 22 countries have issued statements of support to the Philippines. The majority leader maintained that the Philippines has sovereign rights over Scarborough Shoal as he condemned “in the strongest sense” the water cannon attacks by the China coast guard against Philippine vessels in the Scarborough Shoal, including the recent actions that damaged the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Bagacay and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw last April 30. “It has been etched in history our sovereign rights over Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal,” Villanueva said in Filipino, adding that it was “panakot” (threat) in the 1734 Pedro Murillo Velarde map which was one of the 270 maps presented by the Philippines in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague, the Netherlands. “Again, the Scarborough Shoal is within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ)... let it be placed on record that this is not disputed!” he added. (Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB)