Kalayaan Officials Slam Marcoleta's 'Give Up Our Islands' Remark as Betrayal, Demand Senate Expunge It
Local officials of the Municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan are furious — and they're demanding action. The Sangguniang Bayan has formally petitioned Congress to strike from the record Senator Rodante Marcoleta's controversial suggestion that the Philippines should "give up" the Kalayaan Island Group to China to ease tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
In a resolution addressed to Senate President Tito Sotto, the local government argued that keeping Marcoleta's statements in the permanent records of the Commission on Appointments — where he made the remarks during a February 4 hearing — implies "consent" to abandon the island group. The officials called it a straight-up "betrayal" and "dismissal" of residents' right to live securely in their own territory.
"Such an insinuation effectively 'orphans' a legitimate political subdivision of the Republic of the Philippines and mocks the bravery of the men and women stationed at Pag-asa Island and surrounding features," the resolution stated. The Sangguniang Bayan was firm: they will not cede an inch of the KIG and any record suggesting otherwise is a "historical error that must be corrected."
Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson expressed support for expunging the remarks but noted a formal motion is needed. He warned that leaving such defeatist statements in the congressional record could weaken the Philippines' territorial position. Marcoleta had originally said Filipinos should not "die for" the islands, claiming the features are "way beyond" the country's exclusive economic zone.
Marcoleta has since claimed his words were taken out of context, pero the backlash has been intense from all sides. The Kalayaan Island Group forms part of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, and China continues to assert jurisdiction over nearly the entire area despite a 2016 arbitral ruling declaring Beijing's expansive claims invalid.
Source: Daily Tribune
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