The entry still hasn’t been changed as of press time

Pinoy netizens are asking search giant Google to remove from its Maps service Chinese reference to the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine sea through a Change.org petition.

According to the petition, Google has identified the disputed shoal as part of China’s Zhonsha Islands, a collection of entirely submerged banks, seamounts, and shoals in the South China Sea. Panatag Shoal is part of a number of areas that are currently disputed by several other countries including Vietnam and is within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The petition states that “Google maps showing this is part of Zhongsha island chain gives credence to what is plainly a territory grab that peace-loving nations should stand against.”

The Philippines recently sent a massive delegation to The Hague, Netherlands to argue against and nullify China’s nine dashed line, which the country has been using to justify their massive land grab in the area.

EDIT: Google has apparently removed the reference in Google Maps. Their official statement can be found below:

“We’ve updated Google Maps to fix the issue. We understand that geographic names can raise deep emotions which is why we worked quickly once this was brought to our attention.”

Currently there are around 1,877 signatories to the petition as of press time. You can see the entry in Google Maps here.