Marcoleta Moves to Strike KIG Remark from CA Records

Senator Rodante Marcoleta has formally requested the deletion of his controversial remark regarding the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) from the official minutes of the Commission on Appointments (CA) February 4 meeting, offering a revised version of his statements instead.

During the CA’s February 25 session, members took up Resolution 099-016 from the Sangguniang Bayan of Kalayaan, Palawan, which seeks to expunge what it described as Marcoleta’s alleged “defeatist sentiments” from the official record.

The issue stemmed from Marcoleta’s earlier statement during the February 4 meeting where he said that four features within the KIG are not part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The senator has since clarified that he did not intend to suggest that the KIG should be removed from Philippine territory.

Objecting to the draft minutes of the February 4 proceedings, Marcoleta proposed that a portion of his interpellation be removed from the official documentation.

"I'd like to make the following corrections on the draft minutes. Delete the entire portion pertaining to my interpellation with Captain Jess B. Pilar," he said.

He then presented proposed amendments reflecting what he said were his actual views on the West Philippine Sea issue and the distinctions between territorial claims and the EEZ under existing international law.

The senator cited Republic Act No. 9552 in explaining the country’s archipelagic baselines and noted that maritime zones such as the EEZ and contiguous zone are measured from these baselines.

Marcoleta also reiterated his position that certain features in the KIG, including Pag-asa, Parola, Kota, and Lankiam, are located beyond the country’s EEZ, a point contested during the same meeting by AFP officer Captain Jess Pilar.

He further emphasized the need to distinguish between the terms “West Philippine Sea” and “Exclusive Economic Zone,” saying confusion between the two has contributed to public misunderstanding of the issue.

The proposed corrections are expected to be deliberated upon by the CA in subsequent meetings.