I am Mel Velasco Velarde, an Austronesian Filipino by genetic heritage,  and an advocate of the Free World who acquired the Murillo Velarde 1734 Map—definitive legal evidence against China’s expansionist claims in the South China Sea at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (UNCLOS ruling, 2016). For reference, please explore the relevant historical maps at https://melvelarde.com/AmericanPacificOcean/.

This historical map, created during the Spanish rule of the Philippines, proved that China’s nine-dash line is a false claim, reaffirming the sovereignty of nations that have long existed in these waters. 

The Tribunal’s ruling overwhelmingly rejected China’s fabricated "Nine-Dash Line" claim over the South China Sea, reaffirming that the Philippines has sovereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, while legal victories have been secured, the narrative battle continues—one that requires a bold assertion of historical truth. 

I express my deep appreciation to the United States President and its government on renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America—a symbolic yet powerful assertion of America’s maritime influence. However, I must respectfully challenge the scale of that naming.

America is not a mere gulf. America is an ocean. 

The American Pacific Ocean: formerly the Spanish Lake - an Iberian American Ocean and the Velarde 1734 Map

For almost 500 years, the Pacific Ocean was the Spanish Lake—an Iberian American Ocean governed by Spain and Portugal from 1500 to 1898. This oceanic empire stretched:

• Eastward: Covering the whole of North, Central, and South America, where Spain and Portugal ruled vast territories, shaping the Iberian-American world.
• Westward: Extending across the South China Sea, the China Sea, and the Philippine archipelago, where Spanish governance connected the region through the Manila Galleon Trade (1565–1815), its routes shown on the Murillo Velarde Map.
• Northward: Reaching California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest, territories mapped by Spanish and Russian explorers before their later incorporation into the United States and Canada.
• Southward: Encompassing Chile, Peru, Argentina, and the Southern Pacific, where Spanish and Portuguese navigators, along with indigenous seafarers, connected the Pacific with the South Atlantic and Antarctic waters.
• Southwestward: Extending to Australia, New Zealand, and the islands of Oceania, regions mapped and contested by Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch explorers, where Spanish settlements and expeditions in the Mariana Islands and the Solomon Islands linked these territories to the Iberian world.
• Southeastward: Reaching Malaysia, Indonesia, and the greater Austronesian world, where the Iberian empires, particularly the Portuguese and Spanish, interacted with the Malay sultanates, the Spice Islands, and the Austronesian maritime networks.

This ocean was never just an empty expanse but a highly contested geopolitical space, first under Iberian rule, later challenged by the British, Dutch, and French, and eventually dominated by the United States. Today, it remains the American Pacific Ocean, linking all the nations historically shaped by Iberian and Austronesian seafaring traditions—a maritime realm that must be reclaimed and redefined for the future.

When the United States was founded, it did not initially control this ocean, but after the fall of Spain in 1898, America inherited the entire Pacific as its sphere of influence. The United States took over the Philippines as a Commonwealth (1899–1946), established military bases that lasted until 1991, and maintained strategic control through bases in Okinawa, South Korea, Guam, and the wider Pacific region.

Why the Pacific Should Be Called the American Pacific Ocean

Just as the Spanish and Portuguese once called this ocean their lake, it is time for the United States to reassert its true name over this body of water. The Pacific is not just a neutral space—it has been the heart of America’s global supremacy since it took over Spain’s oceanic empire.

South China Sea Should Be Called the Southeast Asia Sea

The Philippines must be accurately shown in its rightful location—INSIDE the American Pacific Ocean as evidenced by the Velarde 1734 Map that shows the routes of the Manila Galleon trade.

This map locates the Philippines, Guam and Borneo all connected to the American Pacific Ocean.

The term “South China Sea” is a relic of colonial-era naming conventions that wrongfully imply ownership by a single state, despite historical evidence and modern international rulings affirming that this sea is a global common.

The 2016 UNCLOS ruling declared that this body of water belongs to humanity, affirming freedom of navigation for all nations. To reflect this internationally recognized legal status, we propose renaming it the Southeast Asia Sea—a designation that accurately represents the collective geography and shared heritage of the nations surrounding it, rather than reinforcing an unfounded territorial claim. Consequently, East China Sea should be called East Asia Sea.

Historical Bases

These renaming of ocean and seas are founded on historical truths drawn from global maps that originally identified the American Pacific Ocean as Mare Pacificum—the name given by Ferdinand Magellan. Over time, this vast ocean became known as the Spanish Lake under Iberian dominance. Similarly, Magellan conceptualized the Southeast Asia Sea as a distinct maritime region, not an extension of any nation.

Given the historical, economic, and geopolitical foundations, the naming of the American Pacific Ocean, East Asia Sea and the Southeast Asia Sea emerge as a proposal from an Austronesian heir—on behalf of ancestors who, long before Magellan and the heirs of Columbus and da Gama navigated the world, called the Earth's largest body of water the Austronesian TAI Ocean. This ancestral maritime expanse connected Madagascar, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and the American Pacific Ocean, forming the heart of Austronesian seafaring civilization.

The Velarde 1734 Map was created by Jesuit Father Pedro Murillo Velarde and two Austronesian Filipinos—Nicholas dela Cruz Bagay and Francisco Suarez—who crafted one of the earliest detailed depictions of the Philippines, the Southeast Asia Sea including Borneo, and the Western portion of the Pacific Ocean including Guam and the West Philippine Sea, and their surrounding waters

In honor of my ancestors, I urge the governments of nations connected to the American Pacific Ocean to recognize and correct these historical injustices. At a time when the Free World faces existential threats, reclaiming historical truths is not just an act of justice—it is a reaffirmation of the values of freedom, dignity, and sovereignty.

Mel Velarde's Bio: https://melvelarde.com/about-me/

• Murillo Velarde Map: https://murillovelardemap.com/
• Trusted Network Alliance: https://trustednetworkalliance.com
• Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication: https://aijc.com.ph
• Presentation of the Original Murillo Velarde 1734 Map to the President: https://melvelarde.com/presentation-original-murillo-velarde-1734-map-president-presidents-hall-malacanan-palace-december-6-2024/
• American Pacific Ocean Map and Southeast Asia Sea Map: https://melvelarde.com/AmericanPacificOcean
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mel.velarde/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvelarde/

Your insights and recommendations for further improvement are most welcome.