In time, Cloma’s independent state has been downgraded into a one-barangay municipality of Palawan province but explorations conducted by different countries since in the whole island chain have revealed a potential mother lode of renewable and non-renewable resources. By one estimate, the Spratlys hold 17.7 billion tons of natural gas making it the fourth-largest such reserve in the world. Its seas provide almost a tenth of the total world catch. Just these two resources are estimated to be worth over a trillion dollars.

It is no surprise then that the entire barren and godforsaken area is being disputed in whole or in part by several nations. And this has put into focus the absence of a bill clearly defining our national territory, especially since the deadline set under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is fast approaching.

While all the claimants, except Brunei, maintain a military presence in the area, there is hardly any danger that the situation will deteriorate into a shooting war. For now, we face no real military threat from either China or Vietnam, both of whom claim the entire island chain.

It is true that both these nations are considered military powerhouses. China has an estimated 3.3 million active duty troops and 4.8 million reserve and paramilitary forces. And, even though Vietnam has roughly the same population as our country, it is no military pushover. It has almost half a million active troops and another 9.1 million in reserves and paramilitary forces.

But neither China nor Vietnam has the naval asserts now to effectively enforce their claims over the disputed Spratly Islands. Just like us, their troops are limited to their major land masses. None of these countries have the men and ships that would give them the capability of conducting military excursions and fully-armed battle groups like the Americans are doing now in the Middle East.

Until the 1990’s, the Chinese navy played a subordinate role to the People’s Liberation Army. While China has previously purchased some old-model aircraft carriers from other countries, these currently serve more as floating amusement parks for tourists. It does have a sizable force of naval destroyers. But it has clearly made its intentions clear about having a "blue water" navy to deal with military contingencies far beyond its coastal waters. And, with its rapidly growing economy, it is finding no shortage of funds to achieve this goal. Vietnam, on the other hand, has a few naval frigates and some patrol boats.

Thus, for the foreseeable future, our particular dispute over the Spratly Islands with China and Vietnam will remain a matter for the diplomats to resolve. Sadly, UNCLOS did not provide a method to resolve overlapping territorial claims such as what we have in the Spratlys while both China and Vietnam have rejected our offer to have the matter resolved by the World Maritime Tribunal. The settlement of the dispute can only be done by the claimants themselves on the negotiating table.

Before we can even stake our claim on part of the Spratly islands, we need to define it. That is why we need to pass a baseline bill defining our national territory and give our diplomats something to work with. Congress should not wait until the time that the rapidly growing economies of China and Vietnam give them the military muscle to resolve this issue outside of the negotiating table. This is not just about a few islands but also about a potential treasure trove of resources crucial to our development.