A local government official of Kalayaan town expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for making a special mention of the country’ strong stance towards territorial and maritime claims in the West Philippine Sea during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22.
Sangguniang Bayan Member Maurice Philip Alexis Albayda noted that he observed the president outlining specific plans for the WPS, particularly through an awareness campaign that will be further initiated.
Albayda also said that awareness especially needs to be transmitted to the youth and future generations.
“Kumbaga nai-align ang ating kampanya, basically lalo na sa personal advocacy ko na itin-translate natin sa Sulong West Philippine Sea na kailangan ang advocacy natin na ang aral ng West Philippine Sea ay maibaba sa kamalayan hanggang sa mga kabataan para mag-evolve ito,” Albayda said in an interview with Palawan News.
He said that President Marcos’ actions regarding the WPS are encouraging and amplify the modest voice of Kalayaan town’s residents.
“Kasi yung mga boses ng mga mamamayan namin ay unti-unti nang nakikita sa picture kasi more than the dispute, more than the harassment na nangyayari sa gitna ng dagat, meron mga bata, mga mamamayan na inaalay ang buhay nila para sa kalayaan, sinasama nila ang bayan para sa mga pangarap nila sinasama nila ang bayan,” he said.
The Kalayaan lawmaker also thanked Marcos for “listening to the voice of the people of Kalayaan and putting his words into action.”
“Our people are our greatest value in the West Philippine Sea. Our people, including the uniformed personnel, our coast guard personnel, our fisherfolks, our great constituents of the municipality of Kalayaan, are heard,” he explained.
“Pangalawa, hindi tumitigil ang pangulo doon sa pag-angkin. Kumbaga, itinatranslate na hindi lang possessive noun ang ginagawa ng pangulo. He’s putting the possessive noun into an action word,” he added.
Looking forward, Albayda said he sees more developments for Kalayaan.
“More so, the most important of all is to convey the crucial awareness of the West Philippine Sea to our youth and fellow Filipinos so that we can achieve collective action for the development of the West Philippine Sea,” he stated.
