MANILA, Philippines - Despite the mounting tension in the hotly contested Spratly archipelago, the town of Kalayaan is looking forward to peaceful co-existence among foreign citizens of claimant-countries now permanently residing in the region.
“Out there, we co-exist peacefully. We’ve been neighbors for so long. Why should we be fighting each other when we can find a peaceful solution to our territorial disputes” said Kalayaan Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon Jr., whose four-boat convoy from Palawan was harassed twice by a Chinese amphibious warships five hours away from Pag-Asa Island last October.
Bito-onon is referring to the Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Malaysian nationals who are also occupying islets, reefs, cays, shoals and sandbars adjacent to the country’s Kalayaan Island group (KIG).
Except for Brunei, all claimant countries – China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia – have troops on forward deployment on their occupied islets and reefs.
At present, the country’s regime of islands is composed of seven islets and two reefs. Pag-Asa island, the second biggest in the region, is now the seat of Kalayaan town, a fifth class municipality of Palawan.
The town used to be a military garrison but is slowly transforming into a community with 270 registered voters, mostly civilians.
Nearby Pag-Asa is a Vietnamese occupied island, which Bito-onon said could be a very close trading and business partner of Filipinos living in Pag-Asa island.
“We may not be already around to witness this, but there’s no way for all claimant-countries but seek and explore a peaceful solution to all these disputes,” Bito-onon said.
He added that one of the most viable options is the joint development of the region.
As to the aggressive behavior of China in pressing its territorial claim covering almost the entire region, Bito-onon described it as plain and simple posturing.
He said China is fully aware that if it will resort to military might to press its territorial claim, it will trigger a major backlash in the international community.
Bito-onon’s view is also shared by several US-based think tanks, who all say that China, while it will continue its “creeping invasion” in the region, will not resort to the use of arms, unless attacked.