MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines must maintain a continuous presence and assert effective control over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) amid ongoing challenges to its maritime claims, legal and political experts emphasized.
Professor Jay Batongbacal clarified that while the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s expansive nine-dash line claim, it did not determine sovereignty over the islands themselves. The tribunal only assessed whether certain features in the South China Sea could generate maritime zones. For the KIG, it concluded that the islands produce only a 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, with waters beyond falling under the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or the high seas.
“Sovereignty over the islands remains unresolved in international law, making it imperative for the Philippines to maintain actual governance and presence,” said Batongbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the UP Law Center,.
He noted that the Philippines was the first to establish a functioning local government in the area, which has been administered as part of Palawan since the 1970s, with settlements, schools, and public services forming the legal basis for sovereignty.
Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, National Security expert echoed the urgency, warning against narratives that portray Philippine maritime rights as negotiable.
“When institutions tasked with defending the Republic are undermined, neutrality ceases to be prudence. It becomes surrender,” Goitia said, referring to recent criticisms of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Goitia stressed that Philippine maritime rights were firmly grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and reinforced by the 2016 arbitral ruling.
Both experts warned that any suggestion to relinquish control over KIG could undermine the country’s legal standing, potentially allowing other claimants to assert rights over the islands. Batongbacal stressed the importance of government unity in upholding the claim, while Goitia called on Filipinos to resist narratives that frame retreat as pragmatism.
The KIG, part of the larger Spratly archipelago, is strategically vital for national security, resource management, and monitoring of maritime routes. Maintaining effective occupation and governance, Goitia said, remains the strongest safeguard of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.
“No inch surrendered. No sovereignty negotiated. The Republic stands,” Goitia said.