LIST: Filipino names of 131 features in Kalayaan Island Group in WPS

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered all of the more than 100 geographical features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea to carry Filipino names in government documents and official maps of the country.

Under Executive Order (EO) No. 111, Marcos ordered the adoption of the standard set of Philippine names for the 131 features of the KIG, which is part of the Kalayaan municipality in Palawan province. 

These include islets, sandbars, atolls, reefs, shoals, and sand cays of the KIG and its surrounding waters.

“It is imperative to adopt a standard set of Philippine names for the maritime features in the KIG for the efficient administration and governance of the area, and the exercise of the country’s sovereignty in the WPS,” the EO states, citing the National Maritime Council (NMC).

Click the link to see the list of the 131 features of the KIG and their local names: Standardized Philippine names of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) features under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 111 

China, however, assailed the Philippines’ move, saying it was illegal under international law. It also warned that it would do “what is necessary to firmly defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea.”

Last year, the NMC recommended adopting the standard set of Philippine names for the features of the KIG.

It said providing standard Philippine names for the KIG features would “help demonstrate the Philippines’ right to name such features within its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

READ: PH naming of Kalayaan Island Group features in WPS draws China warning

It would also formalize the adoption of those names by government agencies and serve to further implement Republic Act No. 12064, or the 2024 Philippine Maritime Zones Act.

Under RA 12064, the maritime zones of the Philippines on the western side of the Philippines archipelago, including the Luzon Sea and the territorial seas of Bajo de Masinloc, and the maritime features of the KIG, shall be collectively called the West Philippine Sea.

Located west of Palawan, KIG is a group of features and their surrounding waters that belong to the Philippines, located in what is internationally known as the Spratlys archipelago.

The Kalayaan municipality was created in the KIG under Palawan province by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1596 issued by then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1978.

The Philippines laid claim to the KIG in 1955 before occupying Pag-asa in the 1970s. Filipino civilians, soldiers, and their families have since settled there.  

The Philippines has occupied nine features in the KIG since the 1970s: Rizal (Commodore) Reef; Patag (Flat) Island; Panata Island (Loaita Cay); Kota (Loaita) Island,  Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Likas (West York) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Parola (Northeast) Island, and Pag-asa (Thitu) Island.

Pag-asa, the largest island in the KIG, serves as the town proper of the Kalayaan municipality. It is about 280 nautical miles away from Palawan’s capital of Puerto Princesa.

READ: Marcos: All Kalayaan Island Group features must have Filipino names

In February, Marcos ordered Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to personally visit the KIG to check ongoing and proposed infrastructure projects, including the construction of new sea ports and airports, and to determine how these would benefit residents.

Congress earmarked P1.65 billion for the development of the Pag-asa Island airport and P300 million for a shelter port in the 2025 national budget. An additional P1.08 billion was also allotted for the second phase of the Lawak Island shelter port.

Last week, the government also held the groundbreaking for the construction of a Catholic church on Pag-asa Island, calling it a “symbol of hope, resilience and unity” for the small community of Filipinos living on the island, where Chinese vessels have also been a constant presence in the surrounding waters.

A lawmaker also proposed P462 million in funding in the 2027 budget for the construction of road networks, sewerage and waste treatment facilities, evacuation centers, and other infrastructure in the KIG.

The amount will also cover dormitories for medical personnel and teachers, a local government operations center, housing units, a multipurpose building, and a minibus for local government operations. /jpv