Philippines lay claim to the "Spratly islands"

MANILA -- Philippines lawmakers Tuesday passed a bill laying claim to part of the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, claimed in whole or in part by a host of Asian nations.

The legislation passed by the Senate marks out the southeast Asian nation's maritime boundaries but acknowledges rival claims.

Included within those boundaries are the Scarborough Shoal, also claimed by China, and part of the Spratly chain, claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing and Hanoi have gone to war once over the strategic Spratlys, which straddle vital sea lanes and are reputed to hold vast undersea oil deposits.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the compromise bill agreed upon by the House and the Senate contained the specific phrase “regime of islands under the Republic of the Philippines.”

This phrase refers to areas over which the Philippines exercises “sovereignty and jurisdiction” and includes the Kalayaan Islands and theScarborough Shoal, he added.

The Kalayaan Islands are a group of seven islands in the Spratly chain that are specifically claimed or garrisoned by Manila.

Senate majority leader Miguel Zubiri said the wording signals that Manila would be open for arbitration on territorial questions.

The House of Representatives was also expected to pass the measure, which legislators said President Gloria Arroyo is expected to sign into law next month.