A long-standing legal principle supports the Philippines’ ownership of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in Palawan without having to argue about the nuances of international law, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Wednesday.
Lacson said the Philippines became the owner of the KIG through a mode of acquiring territory known as discovery and effective occupation.
“Yung Spratly Islands, hindi ba si Tomas Cloma ang naka-discover nito kasi in-occupy niya? And this was formalized by the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. by way of Presidential Decree 1596 in 1978 (In the case of the Spratly Islands, wasn’t Tomas Cloma the one who discovered and occupied it? This was formalized by the late President Ferdinand Marcos by way of Presidential Decree 1596 in 1978),” Lacson said at the hearing of the CA’s Committee on National Defense.
In Filipino: Atin Ito! Ipinundar ni Lacson sa Prinsipyong Legal ang Pag-Aangkin ng Pilipinas sa Kalayaan Islands
Continue reading “‘Kalayaan Is Ours’: Lacson Grounds Philippine Claim in Legal Principle”