The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) stood firm against any suggestion to surrender Philippine territory following a pitch from Senator Rodante Marcoleta to give up the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), rejected such call, saying it runs counter to the military’s constitutional mandate to defend the country’s territory.

“The Constitutional mandate of the AFP is to protect national sovereignty, secure the integrity of the national territory, and look after the welfare of the Filipino people. Throughout history, the Armed Forces has never wavered in performing this mandate, and we have proven it time and again,” he said on Monday, Feb. 9.

He pointed out that the military's area of responsibility is not up for debate, noting that the extent of the national territory they have sworn to protect “is defined in our Constitution and it includes Bajo de Masinloc and the Kalayaan Island Group.”

The KIG is a cluster of islands, reefs, and cays in the WPS, which is part of the wider South China Sea. It forms the westernmost territory claimed and administered by the country, and includes features such as Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, Likas Island, Parola (Northeast Cay) Island, and several reefs and shoals.

KIG lies west of Palawan and is hundreds of kilometers from the country’s mainland. For context, Pag-asa Island, which is the largest and only permanently inhabited feature, is about 277 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

In 1978, Presidential Decree No. 1596 declared KIG as part of the Philippine territory and placed it under the administration of Palawan. The country has since exercised effective occupation and jurisdiction, including the presence of civilians, local elections, public services, and security patrols.

But during a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing on Feb. 4, Marcoleta reportedly questioned why the Philippines would fight over a territory that lies outside the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

He said if features like Pag-asa (Thitu) Island are “way, way beyond our EEZ,” then “to make things easy, let’s just give up the KIG.”

After the uproar, Marcoleta said his critics were “abbreviating the context” of what he said during the Senate hearing.

He explained that his point was tied to how the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes maritime names and features. He said that for WPS to be listed with the IHO, the Philippines would need to submit maps to the United Nations showing that it was including territory that might be outside its EEZ.

The AFP had previously explained that the concepts of EEZ and sovereignty are different.

It said that sovereignty over land features does not depend on EEZ distance since under international law, a state may lawfully own territory beyond its EEZ as long as it has a valid basis for sovereignty.

And once sovereignty over an island is established, then it can generate its own maritime zones subject to the rules of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Under the Republic Act 9522 or the Philippine Baselines Law of 2009, the KIG and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) are claimed as part of the country’s territory, formally recognizing that the Philippines exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over these areas.

For the AFP, Trinidad said that the military currently operates under a specific directive regarding KIG and that is to protect it at all costs.

“Guided by a policy of ‘not giving up one square inch’ and a matching strategy of comprehensive archipelagic defense, your AFP will continue performing its mandate with utmost professionalism and love for country,” Trinidad said, referring to the battle cry of President Marcos Jr. in his previous State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) not to surrender even a small part of the Philippine territory to any foreign power.