PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan—Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson made a scheduled visit to Pag-asa Island off the Spratlys archipelago Saturday (November 20), to personally consult with the local residents and fishermen in the area.
Lacson flew to the island from Manila via private plane early morning carrying new Philippine flags, which he planted on the island as a gesture of goodwill to a small community of Filipinos, trying to lead quiet lives in that part of Palawan.
The visit was kept under wraps because of security concerns. Welcoming Lacson upon his arrival for a quick stopover at the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City were the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (WesCom) stationed in the province.
He departed mainland Palawan around 8:00 a.m. onboard a private Pilatus aircraft going to Pag-asa Island with Partido Reporma president and former House Speaker Pantaleon ‘Bebot’ Alvarez, and secretary-general and Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib.
Partido Reporma senatorial candidate and former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar, spokesperson Ashley ‘Ace’ Acedillo, as well as former Interior Secretary and National Unity Party chairman Ronaldo Puno also joined the trip. They arrived in the area at 9:10 a.m.
Lacson led a flag raising ceremony with the Philippine national anthem played during a brief morning program that was held as soon as they landed on Pag-asa. Three PH flags were raised there by the senator to replace the old one in the municipality, according to Acedillo.
“It was a very significant moment. ‘Yung tipong mararamdaman mo ‘yung patriotismo mo bilang Pilipino. (You could really feel that sense of patriotism as a Filipino),” Acedillo said in a brief interview after their visit to Pag-asa Island.
“This is a symbolic action to signify that we are firm in our commitment in defending our territory and our sovereignty and this is even against the backdrop of a looming Chinese presence,” the Partido Reporma spokesman added.
Lacson, thereafter, engaged the fisherfolk and other concerned local residents in an informal dialogue to get their perspectives on the West Philippine Sea issue. The coastal village of Pag-asa is home to at least 193 civilian Filipinos based on the 2020 census.
Acedillo said Lacson was the first elected official ever to pay the Pag-asa Island residents a visit, and they were really happy to see the senator, who even brought them fresh chicken joys from Manila.
“Isa sa mga nagustuhan ko doon na pagkakataon ‘yung sinabi ni Sir Ping Lacson na maituturing pang tagapagtanggol ng ating soberanya, ng ating teritoryo ang mga nakatira na mga residente doon mismo sa isla,” Acedillo noted.
(What I really appreciated during that moment was when Sir Ping Lacson mentioned that the people on the island themselves can even be considered as defenders of our sovereignty, our territory.)
Tensions over the controversial waters flared anew following recent reports that Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked and used water cannons to drive away local commercial ships on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
While no one was injured in the incident, both Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III joined other government officials in strongly condemning the attack, saying that the Philippines should not be pushed over in its own territories.
“Sarili na nga nating teritoryo, tayo pa ‘yung tinataboy, wina-water cannon. Napakasamang pangitain ‘yon (We are in our own territory, but we’re being pushed around, water cannoned. That’s a very bad omen),” Lacson told reporters last Thursday.
Lacson went to Pag-asa Island, some 225 kilometers away from Ayungin Shoal, to receive updates from the AFP WesCom in his capacity as the incumbent chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation.
The mission was also part of his ongoing commitment to take a deeper look at the West Philippine Sea situation from reliable sources so he could formulate better plans and strategies that would hopefully address recurring territorial disputes across the region.
Lacson is seeking the presidency in the 2022 national elections with Sotto as his vice president. They have earlier committed to protect the West Philippine Sea and our sovereignty by pursuing a “balance of power” among nations anchored on a pro-Filipino agenda.
Pag-asa is the second largest island in the disputed Spratlys archipelago under Philippine administration. It lies about 480 kilometers west of Puerto Princesa City and is within the jurisdiction of the municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan.
The Kalayaan Group of Islands was declared Philippine territory by virtue of Republic Act 9522, or “An Act to Define the Baselines of the Territorial Sea of the Philippines” of 2009, consistent with Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).