evidence: The Philippine claim to Bajo de Masinloc, otherwise referred to as Scarborough Shoal, finds solid basis in international law. The territorial claim of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc is strong relative to the claim of China as well as with respect to the principles on the acquisition of territory in international law, in particular, on the basis of effective occupation. The sovereign rights and jurisdiction asserted by the Philippines over the maritime entitlements of the features in Bajo de Masinloc are founded on principles of international law and consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which both the Philippines and China have signed and ratified. This paper aims to examine the Philippine claim over Bajo de Masinloc particularly focusing on the 2012 standoff between the Philippines and China and the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China over the West Philippine Sea. [...] This paper adopts the Philippine name of Scarborough Shoal, which is Bajo de Masinloc. This paper treats China and Taiwan as one claimant and assumes that their positions over the Bajo de Masinloc are identical. [...] R. de Castro, China’s Realpolitik Approach in the South China Sea Dispute: The Case of the 2012 Scarborough Shoal Standoff, Managing Tensions in the South China Sea Conference, Center for Strategic and International Studies (2013), at 5; Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Philippines Asserts Sovereignty over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, Official Gazette (2012), available athttp://www.gov.ph/2012/04/11/philippines-asserts-sovereignty-over-panatag-scarborough-shoal/ (last visited Sept. 30, 2013).