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<p>MANILA - A Filipino youth group that sailed to the Kalayaan islands in the West Philippine Sea has ended its week-long protest against the reclamation activities of China in the disputed area.</p><p>The 47 members of the &quot;Kalayaan Atin Ito&quot; on Friday left the area and sailed back to Puerto Princesa. The group will then head to their respective provinces.</p><p>Kalayaan Atin ito coordinator Atty. Vera Joy Ban-eg said other activities are set to follow their &quot;patriotic voyage.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Uuwi tayo sa mga sariling probinsya natin at doon natin ipagpatuloy yung panawagan natin ng pagkakaisa... Tuluy-tuloy pa rin ang activities natin habang tayo ay naghahanda sa susunod na paglayag natin,&quot; she told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>Kalayaan islands Mayor Eugenio Bito-Onon expects that the group will have a safe voyage back to the mainland. &quot;Siyempre napakahirap na maalon &#x27;pag maliit ang lantsa at overloaded ... Pero in their case, tao na lang. Halos wala namang mabibigat na mga load,&quot; he explained.</p><p>He added that the group was able to establish positive ties with his constituents.</p><p>&quot;Okay naman iyung pag-stay nila. Wala namang naging mga problema na nag-create sa&#x27; min yun doon sa community namin,&quot; he said. &quot;At batay sa report sa aking adminsitrative staff doon, hindi naman pinag-alala sila. Nag-ienjoy naman sila sa kanilang encampment doon sa isang part ng beach na malapit sa Navy.&quot;</p><div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/12/31/15/sugar-like-sand-thriving-seas-kalayaan-islands-hidden-gems"><strong>Sugar-like sand, thriving seas: Kalayaan island&#x27;s hidden gems</strong></a></div><div id="fb-root"> </div><script type="text/javascript">(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));</script><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=415792641964287&amp;id=351484555061763&amp;substory_index=0" data-width="500"><div class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=415792641964287&amp;id=351484555061763&amp;substory_index=0"><p>Our peaceful and legal patriotic voyage will never be dependent on what china will do. Our objective is to bring to the...</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kalayaan-ATIN-ITO-351484555061763/">Kalayaan ATIN ITO</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=415792641964287&amp;id=351484555061763&amp;substory_index=0">Wednesday, December 30, 2015</a></blockquote></div></div><p>China has been &quot;strongly dissatisfied&quot; by the protest, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang claiming that Beijing has &quot;indisputable sovereignty&quot; over the Spratly islands.</p><p>The Department of Foreign Affairs has clarified that it tried to discourage the protest.</p><p>DFA spokesperson Charles Jose added that the Manila will continue its Hague tribunal case against China over competing claims in the West Philippine Sea. A final ruling could come within the first half of 2016, he said.</p><p>China claims almost all of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam also have claims.</p><p>Manila has been trying to calm tensions heightened by Beijing&#x27;s rapid expansion in the South China Sea - building seven artificial islands in the disputed waters.</p><p>Beijing has not recognized the case before the arbitration court in The Hague. The Philippine government, meanwhile, is <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/10/31/15/south-china-sea-ruling-in-hague-could-be-mid-2016-ph-lawyer"><strong>confident</strong></a> that international pressure would eventually oblige China to comply with a ruling against it. -- <strong>With a report from Rex Ruta, ABS-CBN News; Reuters</strong></p>

A Filipino youth group that sailed to the Kalayaan islands in the West Philippine Sea has ended its week-long protest against the reclamation activities of China in the disputed area. 

Youth group ends Kalayaan islands protest

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Youth group ends Kalayaan islands protest

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 01, 2016 05:27 PM PHT

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