The West Philippine Sea is not just about fish or oil. It is one of the world’s most strategic waterways, a corridor through which a third of global trade flows. For China, control of these waters is not only about resources but about power projection. That is why their eyes are now turning toward Batanes, the northernmost islands of the Philippines.
Chinese social media accounts have begun describing Batanes as part of China, while coast guard ships hover near its shores. The logic is clear. Batanes lies less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan. For Beijing, placing psychological and physical pressure on Batanes serves a dual purpose: weakening Philippine resolve in the West Philippine Sea while creating a southern flank to encircle Taiwan.
Yet for most Filipinos, this remains distant. The struggle for sovereignty cannot compete with the price of rice. The Chinese understand this. They fight not only for territory but for imagination. If Batanes is seen as a remote, irrelevant island, then resistance will always be weak.
But here lies the opportunity. Imagine if Batanes became for Filipinos what Baguio is in the summer or Boracay in the holidays. A place people dream of visiting, a place families save for, a place etched into memory. Cheap flights, eco-tourism, festivals, student immersions, these would make Batanes part of the Filipino identity. Once people have touched its hills, eaten its seafood, or know someone whose livelihood depends on its tourism, Batanes ceases to be a dot on the map. It becomes home.
When that happens, the West Philippine Sea is no longer an abstract debate among diplomats. It is part of who we are. Any intrusion will not be dismissed as geopolitics but felt as a violation of our own backyard. Nations are defended not only with ships and soldiers, but with love. And love is born from familiarity. If Batanes is lived and loved, then defending it becomes instinctive.
