‘Kalayaan’ group wraps up Spratly protest

Defying China. A group of 47 young Filipino men and women arrived on Pagasa Island in the Spratly archipelago on Saturday in a symbolic defiance of China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea. AFP/KALAYAAN ATIN ITO

Mission accomplished?

Around 50 members of the “Kalayaan Atin Ito” (Kalayaan This Is Ours) movement are returning home today from Pagasa (Thitu) Island in the Spratly archipelago after a campaign on the island for a week in a defiant stand against China’s claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

The group composed mostly of young volunteers ranging from 15 to 27 years old—headed by former Marine Capt. Nick Faeldon and accompanied by a hired boat crew—camped on Pagasa from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, angering China, which insists it has “undisputed sovereignty” over the strategic waterway through which $5 trillion in global trade passes every year.

One of the group’s coordinators, Joy Ban-Eg, said the group left Pagasa on late Friday morning. They are expected to arrive in mainland Palawan today.

China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” by the protest, claiming the Philippines was “illegally occupying” disputed islands in the Spratly archipelago.

But Kalayaan Atin Ito was adamant. “Our peaceful and legal patriotic voyage will never be dependent on what China will do. Our objective is to bring to the attention of the world the invasion and militarization done by China inside our [exclusive economic zone] and [extended continental shelf] at the Kalayaan Island Group municipality,” Ban-Eg said in a text message.

Pagasa is one of five islands in the Kalayaan Group occupied by the Philippines. The group is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, which had been monitoring the group despite its disapproval of the protest, confirmed there were no untoward incident with China during the protest or the group’s voyage.

Ban-Eg said the only time the group was “blocked” in any way was by the Philippines’ own Coast Guard. “It was funny, because we’re not the enemy here,” Ban-Eg said in a phone interview with the Inquirer.