NATIONALIST organizations have strongly condemned China's claim that Palawan is historically part of its territory, saying it is "an insult to the knowledge of the Filipino people about their own history and culture."

In a statement, Dr. Jose Antonio Ejercito Goitia, chairman emeritus of the Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement, dismissed China's claim as "absurd" and "a direct violation of international law."

China has long sought to expand its territorial reach in the South China Sea, invoking historical narratives to justify its sweeping claims.

Recently, Beijing asserted that Palawan, along with other territories in the West Philippine Sea, historically fell under Chinese influence, citing ancient voyages and antiquated maps.

Goitia, speaking on behalf of various patriotic organizations, including the People's Alliance for Democracy and Reform and Liga Independencia Pilipinas, said China's claim contradicts the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an agreement that Beijing itself ratified.

Goitia warned that China's expansionist agenda threatens the Philippines' sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"The oppression we are experiencing at the hands of a nation we once considered a close ally in trade and cultural exchange is beyond comparison," he said, decrying the erosion of historical ties built on mutual respect.

Goitia, who is also the first nominee of the Ang Bumbero ng Pilipinas Party-list, also railed at China's use of historical revisionism to justify its territorial aggression.

"Shame on you for betraying the goodwill of your ancestors, who treated Filipinos as close friends since the earliest days of trade between our nations," he said.

Goitia also condemned China's continued provocations in the West Philippine Sea, particularly its harassment of Filipino fishermen and military personnel.

He accused Beijing of using deceptive economic agreements during the Duterte administration as a smokescreen for territorial encroachment.

"This nonsense must stop. We Filipinos will not allow you to seize our sovereign territories and manipulate history to fit your expansionist agenda," he warned.

The statement adds to the growing tensions between the two nations, as Filipino activists and nationalist groups rally against what they see as China's escalating aggression in the region.

International analysts have also weighed in, noting that China's claims over the South China Sea — including areas well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone — have been repeatedly invalidated by international courts.

The 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China's so-called "historical rights" over the disputed waters, but Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling.