Manila will rename more than 100 features in the Spratly Islands to reinforce sovereignty, escalating tensions in the disputed South China Sea.

MANILA: The Philippines announced it will rename more than 100 geographical features in the disputed South China Sea.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s executive order targets islands and reefs within the Spratly archipelago to reinforce Philippine “sovereignty”.

The presidential palace stated the move “strengthens administration and governance, as well as sovereignty, in Palawan and the West Philippine Sea”. All government agencies and schools are directed to begin using the new names, which have yet to be publicly revealed.

The national mapping agency is also ordered to publish updated charts for the area. This action follows a similar 2012 renaming initiative under President Benigno Aquino, who designated nearby waters the West Philippine Sea.

The Spratly Islands are the site of repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, despite an international ruling that its assertion lacks legal basis.

The Philippines, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims in the region. The Spratlys are believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 The Sun Malaysia