The Philippines on Tuesday reasserted its sovereignty claims over the larger Kalayaan Island Group, including Pag-asa island, thus, any visit or activity in the area is legal.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar stressed that Pag-asa Island and the larger Kalayaan Island Group are a municipality of Palawan.
“Any visit or activity we undertake there are part and parcel of our Constitutional mandate to ensure the safety, well-being, and livelihood of our citizens living in this municipality,” he said in a statement.
Bolivar was responding to the remarks of Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua who claimed that Philippine occupation or activity on the islands were illegal.
Pag-asa Island is the largest of the islands which is part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratlys) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Apart from the Philippines and China, several countries including Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have made competing claims over parts or all of West Philippine Sea. (PNA)
