MANILA, Philippines – It appears the “West Philippine Sea” naming has gone missing off the waters west of the Philippines on Google Maps.
Previously, the West Philippine Sea naming was placed west of the Philippines, with the South China Sea naming convention slightly northwest of that on Google Maps, as shown below:
At the time, a Google spokesperson said that changes were made to affect its visibility, but the labeling was always there. “The West Philippine Sea has always been labeled on Google Maps. We recently made this label easier to see at additional zoom levels,” the spokesperson said.
Now, the West Philippine Sea naming appears to have been removed, though if one zooms in at around the same area where the West Philippine Sea naming used to be, you can eventually see an outline and the name of Scarborough Shoal in the general location, as shown below.
It is unclear when this change occurred, but Rappler has reached out to Google’s PR firm in the Philippines for comment.
The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas along the western side of the Philippine archipelago which are within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III gave the area its formal naming in 2012 through Administrative Order 29. – Rappler.com
