Environmental Costs of the West Philippine Sea Dispute in Light of Catholic Social Teaching

This paper analyzes the environmental dimensions of the West Philippine Sea dispute through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. After surveying the maritime dispute's history, the competing legal claims of the Philippines and China under UNCLOS, and the extensive destruction of coral reefs from island-building and giant clam harvesting, the author turns to papal and episcopal teaching on ecology, from Octogesima Adveniens to Laudato Si', to argue that the disputed waters constitute an intrinsically good, biodiverse creation deserving stewardship rather than exploitation. Engaging Elizabeth Johnson's "community of creation" paradigm and Philippine jurisprudence recognizing the legal standing of marine life, the paper proposes that grounding the Philippines' claims in ecological and moral terms, alongside evidence-based rehabilitation, offers firmer legal and moral footing than political contestation alone.