Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri has rejected any suggestion that the Philippines could give up the Kalayaan Island Group, saying such a move is barred by law and contradicts the country’s constitutional and legal obligations.
Zubiri issued the statement following remarks raised during a Commission on Appointments hearing that floated the idea of abandoning the island group. He said there is no legal basis for that position, stressing that the Kalayaan Island Group is part of Philippine territory and protected by both domestic and international law.
He pointed to the Constitution as the foundation of the country’s territorial claims and cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the governing framework for maritime rights. Zubiri also referenced the 2016 arbitral ruling, which upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and rejected China’s expansive nine-dash line claim. Taken together, he said, these legal anchors leave no room for surrender or negotiation.
Zubiri added that Congress has reinforced this position through legislation passed in the 19th Congress, including the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act. He said these measures were enacted to clarify and strengthen Philippine claims, not to weaken them or place them up for debate.
He also stressed that the issue is not purely legal or theoretical. Zubiri noted that there are actual Filipinos and Filipino communities in the Kalayaan Island Group, making the matter one of national responsibility as well as sovereignty. He said the state has a duty to protect these areas not just for legal consistency, but for the people connected to them.
While firm on his stance, Zubiri said a fellow senator whose remarks triggered the controversy should be given the chance to explain, especially since those statements are now being denied. During the hearing, the comments raised questions about whether the island group falls within the country’s exclusive economic zone and whether defending it was worth the potential cost.
Zubiri said the country’s position remains clear. Philippine territory cannot be surrendered, abandoned, or given up under any circumstance.
