(Eagle News) — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday, May 2, asserted its claim that the Pag-asa Island and Kalayaan Island Group were part of the Philippines.
“Pag-asa Island and the larger Kalayaan Island Group are a municipality of Palawan,” DFA spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar in an interview said.
The statement was made after Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua claimed that any occupation, activity and claim by the Philippines on the islands was illegal.
“We view the occupation by the Philippine side of those islands as illegal. And so the buildings on it are also illegal,” the Chinese envoy on Monday, May 1, said.
Because of this, Bolivar maintained that any activities in the areas are part of the constitutional mandate to ensure the safety of its citizens living in the islands.
“Any visit of 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,” Bolivar said.
