Give up Kalayaan Islands? Malacañang rejects surrender of territory

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February 9, 2026 | 3:46pm

MANILA, Philippines — After a senator publicly suggested giving up the Kalayaan Island Group, the Palace asserted the country's territorial claims, but stopped short of weighing in on the dispute among lawmakers.

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta earned the ire of citizens after hinting that the group of islands is not worth potential bloodshed—a statement he would later claim was taken out of context. 

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela, without naming Marcoleta, said it would be treasonous for a Filipino to suggest surrendering any part of the country's territory.

Asked about the issue, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said such remarks did not amount to treason, noting that under the law, treason requires an act of war.

The Senate was also allowed to debate on such matters on its own, as they had the freedom to express themselves. 

"Ang nais din po ng Pangulo, maipahatid ninuman, ng bawat Pilipino kung ano ba ang ating karapatan sa ating teritoryo, kung ano ba ang interes natin sa West Philippine Sea. Ganoon pa rin po ang posisyon ng Pangulo, wala pong anumang bahagi ng teritoryo natin o anumang interes ang isu-surrender sa anumang foreign power," Castro said in a briefing on Monday, February 9. 

(The president wants every Filipino to know what our territorial rights are, and what our interests in the West Philippine Sea are. The President's position remains the same, no part of our territory or our interests will be surrendered to any foreign power.) 

Castro urged caution in public statements, warning of the consequences of careless rhetoric.

"We have a saying, 'You reap a storm if you sow winds'," she said