Kalayaan execs unfazed by China travel ban
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Officials of Kalayaan town in Palawan shrugged off a travel ban imposed by Chinese authorities that reportedly bars them from entering China, including Hong Kong and Macau.
The reported ban was due to the municipal council’s declaration of certain Chinese officials as persona non grata in the town.
READ: China bars Philippine local officials over Kalayaan resolutions
Kalayaan officials said they are not bothered by the move, stressing they have no intention of traveling to China.
Mayor Beltzasar Alindogan said he was not surprised by the development. While he respects the Chinese government’s action as its prerogative under its laws, he said the ban does not concern him personally.
“Anyway, I have no plans of going to China or visiting its territories. I am not fond of traveling abroad and would rather visit different places in the Philippines,” Alindogan said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at the Kalayaan municipal extension office here.
Vice Mayor Maurice Philip Alexis Albayda, for his part, said he had anticipated such a move years ago.
Not the first time
He recalled that in 2023, when he was still a member of the town council, they adopted a resolution declaring former Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian persona non grata in Kalayaan.
On Jan. 27 this year, the Kalayaan municipal council also declared Ambassador Jing Quan persona non grata within the town’s territorial jurisdiction, prompting a reaction from the Chinese Embassy.
Albayda said he even viewed the embassy’s response as an acknowledgment of Kalayaan’s status as a municipality situated in the West Philippine Sea—an area also being claimed by China.
“The statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Manila further strengthens the recognition of our town in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
“At the same time, I am pleased that even though our actions may seem small, they create a significant impact. This proves the spirit of democracy—that governance becomes effective through the expression of our sentiments, and reactions serve as a measure of that impact,” Albayda added.
He noted that their actions demonstrate how even a small town can stand up for its constituents and for the Filipino people./coa
