PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan- In a bid to strengthen the claim of the country in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the provincial board here has stepped closer to adopting a resolution, naming the sandbars and reefs situated within 12 nautical miles of Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan town.
In his privilege speech delivered Tuesday in the provincial board’s regular session, Board Member Ryan Maminta said the resolution that the municipality of Kalayaan recently adopted to name the sandbars and reefs within its jurisdiction could change the current situation in the disputed waters.
“Ito ay sinususugan natin sa pamamagitan ng isang ordinansa kung saan pinagtitibay natin ang pangalan na ipinasa ng munisipyo ng Kalayaan,” he said.
(We will support this by issuing an ordinance that will re-affirm the names that the municipality of Kalayaan has adopted for these sandbars and reefs)
On August 14, the Kalayaan town council enacted a municipal ordinance officially naming four sandbars and two coral reef surrounding the town as follows: Pag-asa Cay 1, Pag-asa Cay 2, Pag-asa Cay 3, and Pag-asa Cay 4; and Pag-asa Reef 1 and Pag-asa Reef 2.
“Ang nationalism at patriotism ay mas malawak pa sa politika. Tayo ay binigyan ng maganda at mayaman na lugar. ‘Yong ginawa ng Kalayaan ay maaring maliit, pwedeng hindi mahalata o marecognize ng buong mundo pero ito ay parang bato na kapag itinapon ay magigig alon. Kaya po sinusuportahan natin ito dahil maaari itong magbigay ng pagbabago,” Maminta added.
(Nationalism and patriotism are more encompassing than politics. We were blessed with beautiful and rich natural resources. What the municipality of Kalayaan did could have been a small move, which may not be noticed or recognized by the world, but it was still marked in stone, which when thrown to water would create ripples. That is why we support this move because it may provide change)
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled that claim to the entire WPS is favorable to the Republic of the Philippines against the People’s Republic of China.
The proposal has been referred to the Committee on rules and laws for further discussion.