Palace on Kalayaan islands: No part of PH will be given to foreign power

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday stressed that the Philippines will not surrender any part of its territory or interests in the West Philippine Sea, following Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s suggestion to give up the Kalayaan Island Group.

At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants everyone to maintain a unified stance on the country’s fight to protect its sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

“What the president also wants is for every Filipino to be able to convey what our rights are over our territory and what our interests are in the West Philippine Sea. The president’s position remains the same: No part of our territory, nor any of our interests, will be surrendered to any foreign power,” she said at a press briefing.

READ: Lacson defends ‘pro-PH’ senators, officials over WPS

“But we must also be consistent with what we are saying. As the saying goes, “Those who sow the wind will reap the storm,” Castro noted.

The Palace official also shrugged off Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela’s claim that Marcoleta’s statements amounted to treason.

“As we all know, one of the elements of treason is that there must be an actual state of war. So, as of now, we are not—we are not in a state of actual war,” Castro explained.

Marcoleta faced criticism after suggesting the country give up the Kalayaan Island Group, which he argued is not within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

READ: Zubiri on Kalayaan islands: It’s ours, we can never surrender it

“What are we going to get killed for here? We will offer our lives, including the lives of our children, and die for it, for something that is not within our EEZ?” he asked.

“To make things easier, we can give up the KIG and then, coordinate everything. But until—and unless—the KIG is there… If it is outside our Exclusive Economic Zone, how can it be considered part of the entire West Philippine Sea?” Marcoleta wondered.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, in a statement on Monday, vehemently rejected this suggestion, saying it is “clearly part” of Philippine territory under the Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as affirmed by the 2016 arbitral ruling. /apl