DILG chief defends Kalayaan local execs who were banned in China

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday defended the local officials of Kalayaan, Palawan, after being banned from entering China over their municipal council’s resolutions declaring their ambassador persona non grata.

“I will go there myself, then [China] should ban me,” Remulla told the Inquirer in a text message.

“The Kalayaan Group of Islands is part of our territorial waters. We have been inhabiting it for over a century. In fact, it has its own LGU (local government unit). I will pay them a visit soon to reinvigorate our sovereign claim,” he added.

READ: China bars Philippine local officials over Kalayaan resolutions

The municipality, situated in the West Philippine Sea, has around 400 residents.

China banned 16 Kalayaan municipal officials after they authored and approved town resolutions that banned their government’s ambassadors to the Philippines in 2023 and 2026.

The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines justified the move with the “principle of reciprocity.” /jpv