The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Security Council (NSC) have firmly rejected claims that Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines, belongs to China.

AFP spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad emphasized that the Philippines' sovereignty over Batanes is 'settled, indisputable, and non-negotiable,' stressing that the province is protected by international law and historic national boundaries.He condemned attempts by foreign entities to spread disinformation, calling it 'salami slicing' in the information domain.

Chinese scholars and researchers from universities have allegedly claimed that Batanes is a geographical extension of Taiwan, thus under Chinese sovereignty.However, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.dismissed these claims as 'baseless and ludicrous,' warning against allowing false narratives to gain traction.National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr.echoed this, stating that such claims have no merit and could be used to justify territorial encroachment.The Philippines' stance aligns with its 2016 South China Sea Arbitration ruling, which invalidated China's nine-dash claim.

The government remains committed to defending its territorial integrity and preventing manufactured disputes from escalating into geopolitical conflicts.