(Eagle News) — The House committee on natural resources has approved a bill seeking to declare the Kalayaan Island Group as “alienable and disposable land for agricultural, residential and commercial purposes.”
In their explanatory note of House Bill 5614, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said there was an “urgent need” to make such a declaration to “promote permanent dwelling and develop a viable source of livelihood for the residents…”
They noted that the declaration would also “promote the growth of business opportunities and spur the development of trade and industry by attracting investors to the area.”
According to Alvarez, there have been efforts to invite Filipino businessmen to invest in the Kalayaan Island Group, but they are reluctant to do so.
“Even residents who have been long tilling and developing the parcels of land within the Kalayaan Island Group cannot apply for title for their occupied area,” Alvarez said.
House Bill 5614 provides that the Kalayaan Island Group is composed of Pagasa (Thitu), Likas, Parola, Lawak, Kota, Patag, Panata, Ayungin Reef, Balagtas Reef and Rizal Reef.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Salvador Melchor Mison Jr. said the budget for AFP development plans for the nine Kalayaan Group of Islands amounts to P11.6 billion.
The plans include the “enhancement of the habitability of the islands, the construction of a berthing space for Philippine Navy vessels and other vessels, the upgrading of the defense structures of the islands, the improvement of existing facilities such as roads and an air strip; and the provision of water and power facilities and communication equipment.”