Amen, Brother !
Those islands are within the Philippines' EEZ , as pertained and guaranteed by UNCLOS, which was signed and also recognized by the People's Republic of China. As a signatory of that, The PRC are to uphold and respect that agreement.
When the United States Navy had naval bases in Subic, we used to help patrol that region with the Philippine Navy and China never dared send ships to the region. After our withdrawal, seeing that the Philippines is a weak country, the Chinese have been more militant and started claiming that region as theirs. However, when the Philippines was a Spanish Colony, and later an American Protectorate, the Chinese governments never patrolled these waters. As they were recognized as part of the Spanish Philipines, and later part of the Independent Republic of the Philippines.
I can assure you that during the governments of the Qing Dynasty, Sun Yat Sen and by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai Shek), there were no Chinese naval forces claiming the spratleys or the Scarborough shoal.
The United States , as reiterated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has RE-AFFIRMED its historical and strategic military alliance with the Philippines. If the Philippines is attacked, the United States will get INVOLVED. That is a guarantee.
The United States lost almost 60,000 of our marines when we took the Philippines from Imperial Japan in 1944. We could have bypassed them vis-a-vis the island hopping campaign, but we Liberated the Philippines and much American Blood were lost to free our Filipino brothers in arms.
The United States and the Philippines have a very special and strategic relationship. The United States will steam the entire Pacific Fleet to aid the Philippines if it were attacked. That is GUARANTEED. She is part of the American Nuclear Umbrella.