Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772086467157Screen Shot 2026-02-26 at 2.13.41 PM_cropped_processed_by_imagy.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Rodante Marcoleta joins a plenary session, August 6, 2025. Joseph B. Vidal, OSP/File</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday sought to remove his &quot;give up KIG (Kalayaan Island Group)&quot; remark from the minutes of the Commission on Appointments (CA) February 4 meeting, proposing corrections instead.</p><p>The CA, in its February 25 meeting, opened the discussion on Resolution 099-016 of the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalayaan, Palawan, which seeks to expunge from its records the alleged &quot;defeatist sentiments&quot; of Marcoleta.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/25/ca-defers-action-on-resolution-of-municipality-of-kalayaan-over-marcoleta-remark-1554">CA defers action on resolution of Kalayaan municipality over Marcoleta remark</a></div><p>To recall, Marcoleta said in the February 4 meeting that four features in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) are not part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).</p><p>Marcoleta has since clarified that he did not mean to remove the KIG from Philippine territory.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/marcoleta-spratlys-not-discovered-by-tomas-cloma-1508">Marcoleta: Spratlys not discovered by Tomas Cloma</a></div><p>On Wednesday, he objected to the proposed minutes of the February 4 meeting and proposed corrections.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;d like to make the following corrections on the draft minutes. Delete the entire portion pertaining to my interpellation with Captain Jess B. Pilar,&quot; he said.</p><p>Pilar is one of the 35 officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) whose ad interim appointments were considered on February 4.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PROPOSED CORRECTION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Marcoleta then read his proposed amendments to the minutes:</p><p>&quot;Senator Rodante Marcoleta expressed his views on the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea. The senator said that the recent controversy started with Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela&#x27;s public discussion on the subject, wherein he called the Chinese President Xi Jinping a bully and showed unappealing caricatures of the Chinese President which clearly offended the Chinese Embassy,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Senator Marcoleta asked if there is a policy that heads of other countries be subjected to satire and be vilified through caricature to which Captain Pilar said that there is none.&quot;</p><p>Marcoleta then shared a portion of the Department of Foreign Affairs letter to Senator Risa Hontiveros, which stated that disputes between states are best addressed through diplomatic channels than in public, and that escalation even in public messaging should only be done when it advances clear strategic objectives and the national interest.</p><p>He then asked Captain Pilar what we gain strategically from Commodore Tarriela&#x27;s actions in terms of national interest, to which Captain Pilar replied that, being a member of the AFP, we were just voicing out that our seats, our rights, and what is legally ours, as is stated in our laws. </p><p>Marcoleta replied that while what is legally ours must be defended, Commodore Tarriela should be transparent in explaining that the West Philippine Sea and the Exclusive Economic Zone are two different entities.</p><p>Marcoleta then proceeded to explain technical details on the West Philippine Sea, stating that the archipelagic baselines have been defined under Republic Act No. 9552, and that from the archipelagic baseline we can already measure our EEZ, contiguous zone, and territorial sea. </p><p>However, he highlighted the fact that the arbitral award only ruled on the EEZ.</p><p>He emphasized that the four features of the Kalayan Island Group, Pag-asa, Parola, Kota, and Lankiam, currently being occupied by the Philippines, are located beyond our EEZ. </p><p>Captain Pilar maintained that these features are within our EEZ and that they can also generate their own EEZs. Senator Marcoleta, however, reiterated his point that these four features are indeed beyond the country&#x27;s EEZ and that as rocks, these features do not generate their own EEZs. </p><p>He said that the problem lies with how people tend to use both the term EEZ and the West Philippine Sea interchangeably.</p><p>Senator Marcoleta said that under Administrative Order Number 29 (2012), the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, or NAMRIA, and the DFA are required to prepare an official map of the Philippines with the West Philippine Sea; to deposit it with the Office of the United Nations Secretary General; and to notify the appropriate international organizations. However, this was not complied with despite passage of several years precisely because of the legal complexities surrounding the KIG that lies outside our EEZ. </p><p>He said that if a map is thrown appropriating the high seas, we will violate the UNCLOS itself.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>With the dilemma of plotting the West Philippine Sea that will include the waters of the KIG in the high seas, Senator Marcoleta used a hypothetical scenario of giving up the KIG if only to simplify the problem of delimiting the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>He further said that within the South China Sea are the EEZs from different countries and that Vietnam, Malaysia and China were able to manage their differences and consequently had numerous oil and gas explorations within their areas. The Philippines has been left behind on this aspect as we have been unable to manage our disputes.</p><p>Finally, Marcoleta mentioned that when he met with the Chinese Ambassador, the latter opened up his willingness to discuss with all concerned agencies of the Philippine government. Senator Marcoleta then suggested that we should begin to engage with them and to start with less contentious matters such as fishing rights, which both parties may benefit from.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>DEFERRED</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Marcoleta emphasized that his proposed amendments do not intend to change the substance of the proceedings, but to ensure that the records reflect what occurred.</p><p>Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros asked if deliberation on the matter could be rescheduled since the CA still needed to confirm the ad interim appointments of 81 AFP general/flag officers and senior officers.</p><p>CA Majority Floor Leader Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo agreed.</p><p>“I think because of lack of material time, Mr. Chair, I think we can reschedule this on the next hearing of the Committee on National Defense to tackle this issue,” Romualdo said.</p><p>Nobody objected to the deferment.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IqXbcPv8WVw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday sought to remove his "give up KIG (Kalayaan Island Group)" remark from the minutes of the Commission on Appointments (CA) February 4 meeting, proposing corrections instead.</p>

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Wednesday sought to remove his "give up KIG (Kalayaan Island Group)" remark from the minutes of the Commission on Appointments (CA) February 4 meeting, proposing corrections instead.

Marcoleta seeks deletion of 'give up KIG' remark, proposes correction

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Marcoleta seeks deletion of 'give up KIG' remark, proposes correction

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 26, 2026 02:19 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodante Marcoleta

Kalayaan Island

KIG

Commission on Appointments

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