Palawan was never part of China. Senators Francis Tolentino and Jinggoy Estrada reiterated this on Sunday after several Chinese netizens claimed that the resource-rich island province is part of their territory.

According to Tolentino, Palawan Island is part of Region IV-B, also known as MIMAROPA.

“Maybe China should stop claiming Palawan. They should focus on fixing their own territory first. That’s going too far; Palawan doesn’t belong to them. Palawan is part of MIMAROPA, Region IV-B, not Guangdong,” Tolentino said on Sunday.

Estrada also slammed China for claiming Palawan, calling such an assertion a “blatant affront to our nation’s sovereignty and another reckless distortion of historical truth.”

“Palawan was never part of China, and the NHCP (National Historical Commission of the Philippines) has clearly refuted these false claims circulating on Chinese social media, emphasizing that they have no credible historical or legal foundation,” he said in a separate statement.

He added: “This is just another piece of fake news being spread, and thankfully, the NHCP was quick to call out this unbelievable and fabricated narrative.”