House panel OK’s bill declaring Kalayaan islands ‘alienable’
A BILL seeking to declare as “alienable and disposable” the Kalayaan Group of Islands has passed the committee level at the House of Representatives.
The House committee on natural resources approved House Bill (HB) 5614 authored by Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez and Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo C. Fariñas.
Under the bill, the Kalayaan Island Group — defined therein as “composed of islets and reefs with aggregate land area of approximately 79 hectares (ha)” — shall be “declared as alienable and disposable land for agricultural, residential, commercial, and other productive purposes.”
The island group consists of Pagasa (32.7 ha), Likas (18.6 ha), Parda (12.7 ha), Lawak (7.9 ha), Kota (6.45 ha), Patag (0.57 ha), and Parata (0.44 ha), as well as Ayungin Reef, Balagtas Reef, and Rizal Reef.
Also in the bill’s explanatory note, Messrs. Alvarez and Mr. Fariñas said that the municipality of Kalayaan has been “inviting” investors who, however, “are reluctant to invest because the island group is inalienable and non-disposable for agricultural, residential and commercial purposes.”
“Even residents who have been long tilling and developing the parcels of land within the Kalayaan Island Group cannot apply for title for their occupied area,” the bill’s authors noted.
“Thus, there is an urgent need to declare the Kalayaan Island Group as alienable and disposable to promote permanent dwelling and develop a viable source of livelihood for the residents therein. This will also promote the growth of business opportunities and spur the development of trade and industry by attracting investors in the area.”
Once enacted into law, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will be tasked to promulgate necessary rules and regulation for the act’s implementation.
The bill cited in part Presidential Decree No. 1596 by then-president Ferdinand E. Marcos, declaring Kalayaan — part of the since-contested Spratly Group of Islands — as a municipality in the province of Palawan.
The decree cited in its whereas clause that, “while other states have laid claims to some of these areas, their claims have lapsed by abandonment and cannot prevail over that of the Philippines on legal, historical, and equitable grounds.” — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz
