In 2012, then-Philippine President Noynoy Aquino boldly renamed parts of the South China Sea as the “West Philippine Sea,” as if sovereignty could be established with a simple administrative order. Over a decade later, a Google Maps search for WPS yields nothing but disappointment.

Fast forward to 2025, and the world witnesses an eerily similar yet vastly different spectacle: U.S. President Donald Trump, in a dazzling display of executive audacity, renames the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” Unlike Aquino’s renaming attempt, which faded into digital oblivion, Trump’s decree is instantly honored by Google Maps. Within minutes, Americans celebrate their newfound ownership of international waters, while Mexicans stare in disbelief at their now cartographically displaced coastline.

Moral of the story? No head of state can unilaterally rename islands and seas—unless, of course, your name is Donald Trump. It seems that in geopolitics, much like in real estate, branding is everything, but only the right people get to do the naming. The Philippines may have taken inspiration from its former colonial master (or is it vice versa?) but clearly, it still lacks the imperial privilege to dictate global maps. Like colony, like colonial master—except one actually gets results.