Marcos tasks DPWH to assess, improve Kalayaan Island Group Infra

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to check the Kalayaan Island Group and ensure the infrastructure development in its area, Malacañang said Wednesday.

''Sa ngayon po ay nakausap ko mismo si Sec. Vince (Dizon), at inutusan po talaga sila ng Pangulo na puntahan ang Kalayaan Island Group at tingnan po kung ano ang kinakailangan. At sila po ay magmumungkahi na gumawa doon ng port at ng airway,'' Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said at a briefing. 

(I've talked to Sec. Vince and they were instructed by the President to go to the Kalayaan Island Group and determine what is needed there. They suggested the creation of port and airways.) 

The Kalayaan Island Group or KIG is part of an archipelago of islet, sandbars, atolls, reefs shoal and cays known internationally as the Spratly Group of Islands, according to the website of the Municipality of Kalayaan.

It added that the Spartly Isands is a group of more than 600 islets, coral, reefs, sand bars, and atolls in the South China Sea.

Pag-asa Island is the largest Island in the KIG. The other islands include Likas Island, Parola Island, Kota Island, Panata Island, Lawak Island, Patag Island, Rizal Reef, and Ayungin Reef.

The Philippine government earlier vowed to continue asserting its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite a previous call to give up the KIG in Palawan.

Senator Rodante Marcoleta has been criticized for an earlier statement, saying that the Philippines should let go of the KIG. 

Marcoleta, however, said his remarks were "misinterpreted,'' saying that his statements about "giving up" only pertained to "mapping."

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by Manila as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." 

China has not recognized the decision. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News