Marcoleta, Lacson clash over Spratly Islands discovery

Senators Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday once again exchanged words over the supposed discovery of Spratly Islands by Filipino adventurer and businessman Tomas Cloma.

During a hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, Marcoleta claimed that Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson “erroneously cited” that Cloma was the one who discovered the Spratly Islands, which houses the Kalayaan Island Group. 

“Sinabi niya (he said), Tomas Cloma is the one who discovered Spratly Islands. And as the discoverer, he owns it. So, dinonate niya sa Pilipinas (he donated it to the Philippines) and this was formalized by President Marcos Sr. As a matter of fact, sabi niya (he said), this was also formalized by the arbitral ruling. He was referring to the 2012 arbitration in the South China Sea,” Marcoleta said. 

He was citing a statement made by Lacson during a hearing of the Commission on Appointments committee on national defense last February 4.

Marcoleta then asked Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Education and Training Command deputy commander Brigadier General Alexander Gigantone if the matter was being taught in their command and general staff course. 

“For the CGSC class, we only have seven modules. And we are not aware that if this history is being taught of that, including the module,” Gigantone answered. 

For Marcoleta, Cloma is simply a seafarer, and not a discoverer. He also insisted that the Philippines owns its occupied territories not because they were discovered or donated by Cloma.

“Pag-aari natin simply because nando’n ang mga tao natin and we have effective control. Under public international law, kung sino ang merong effective control, siya ‘yung may-ari. That’s the status now. So ‘wag nating isasangkot si Tomas Cloma sa mga bagay na hindi tama para sa kanya. ‘Yun lang po ang ico-correct natin,” he said. 

(It belongs to us simply because our people are there and we have effective control. Under public international law, whoever has effective control is the owner. That's the status now. So let's not involve Tomas Cloma in things where he shouldn’t be included. We have to correct that.) 

“Let us cleanse the part of that course na pinalalabas na discoverer siya at dinonate niya at finormalize ni (being shown that he is a discoverer and he donated the islands, and was formalized) President Marcos in his Presidential Decree. That was all wrong. That is historical distortion,” he added. 

Lacson countered Marcoleta, saying facts should speak for themselves when it comes to the discovery of the Spratly Islands

The Senate President Pro Tempore cited information from the official website of Kalayaan municipality in Palawan showing that Cloma supposedly discovered the then previously uninhabited islands in 1947. 

He also cited that Cloma took formal possession of the Kalayaan Islands on May 15, 1956 when he issued a "Notice to the Whole World" asserting ownership over 33 features in the Spratlys. By the 1970s, the adventurer supposedly ceded his claim to the Philippine government for the symbolic sum of one peso.

He said this then paved the way for President Ferdinand Marcos to officially establish the Municipality of Kalayaan under Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978. 

“Merong hindi pa rin maka move on kay Tomas Cloma. So, eto ang historical facts para matahimik sa rin sa himlayan niya si Tomas Cloma,” Lacson said.

(Some people still cannot move on from Tomas Cloma. Here are the historical facts, so Cloma can be left alone to rest in peace.) —RF, GMA Integrated News