Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino (Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Reelectionist Senator Francis "TOL" Tolentino is batting for the establishment of human settlements on islands in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to fortify the country's rights in that body of water. 

“I look forward to crafting a law that would enable our government to put up sustainable human settlements in the islands we claim in the [WPS]. I can term that as the West Philippine Sea Settlement Act,” the Senate majority leader said in a recent television interview. 

Tolentino noted that among the features of the WPS, only the island-municipality of Kalayaan, under the province of Palawan, currently hosts a Filipino community. 

“But what about Patag, Lawak, and other islands which are also ours? We really need to put up settlements. We can provide infrastructure, agriculture support, we provide the population," explained the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial candidate. 

“It was done before by President [Ramon] Magsaysay. Many of our kababayans from the north settled in Sultan Kudarat, GenSan (General Santos)… which we now know as SOCCSKSARGEN.” 

Tolentino is referring to the late president’s land reform program which established the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) in 1954. 

The program involved the resettlement of thousands of landless farmers and rebel returnees to settlements in Mindanao and Palawan, where the beneficiaries established their own farms and homes. 

“That is why you would see that there are many Ilocanos, Ilonggos who are there. We can replicate that. We can have viable human settlements populated by Filipinos in the areas we're claiming right now to make it really Philippine territory. 

"Because as we can see, China even plans to take over Palawan,” he noted, referring to a dubious information campaign social media wherein Beijing is claiming overship of Palawan. 

Asked how  the government can make his proposed settlements sustainable, Tolentino said fisheries and tourism facilities can be established to support the livelihood of the islands’ occupants. 

“We can support agriculture, put up cold storage facilities for fishermen who could trade their catch there. We can have tourism sites, and a market for fisheries. These islands should not just function as shelters during bad weather. We can also put up marine and scientific research, which is allowed under UNCLOS,” he pointed out. 

UNCLOS stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. 

Tolentino is the principal author of the landmark Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act No.12064) which was signed by President Marcos in November 2024.