Tolentino wants human settlements in WPS

Senator Francis Tolentino on Wednesday expressed his intention to craft a measure that will establish human settlements in the West Philippine Sea to strengthen the country's rights in the region. 

“I look forward to crafting a law that would enable our government to put up sustainable human settlements in the islands we claim in the West Philippine Sea. I can term that as the West Philippine Sea Settlement Act,” Tolentino said in a television interview.

Tolentino pointed out that among the features of the WPS, it is only the island-municipality of Kalayaan, under the province of Palawan, which currently hosts a Filipino community.

“But what about Patag, Lawak, and other islands which are also ours? We really need to put up settlements. We can provide infrastructure, agriculture support, we provide the population,'' Tolentino said. 

“It was done before by President Magsaysay. Many of our kababayans from the north settled in Sultan Kudarat, GenSan… which we now know as SOCCSKSARGEN,'' he added. 

Tolentino, who is seeking reelection in the midterm polls, said fisheries and tourism facilities could be established to support the livelihood of the islands’ occupants.

“We can support agriculture, put up cold storage facilities for fishermen who could trade their catch there. We can have tourism sites, and a market for fisheries. These islands should not just function as shelters during bad weather. We can also put up marine and scientific research, which is allowed under UNCLOS,” he said. 

Tolentino is the principal author of the landmark Philippine Maritime Zones Act (Republic Act 12064) that was signed by President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. in November 2024.

The Philippine Maritime Zones Act as well as the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act are seen to give more teeth to the country’s legal rights over the resource-rich region. —Anna Felicia Bajo/LDF, GMA Integrated News

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