Kalayaan elects ‘West PH Sea defenders’ in new municipal leaders

Metro Manila, Philippines - Voters in the Municipality of Kalayaan have elected a new set of local officials pushing for the country’s rights in the West Philippines Sea, in a tight race among contending candidates.

Vice Mayor Beltsazar “Billy” Alindogan won the mayoral race by a narrow 10 votes, or 277, against Ferdinand Atos with 267.

In the vice-mayoral race, Sangguniang Bayan Member Maurice Philip Alexis Albayda defeated sitting Mayor Roberto del Mundo with 290 votes against 249, according to a report of government media outlet Philippine News Agency.

Kalayaan, the smallest and westernmost municipality of Palawan, has 819 registered voters, of whom more than half, or 567, cast their ballots.

Kalayaan is not entirely within the West Philippine Sea, but it exercises jurisdiction over a number of islands and maritime features in the contested waters, including Pag-asa Island, which serves as its administrative center, as well as Patag, Likas, Lawak, Parola, Kota, Rizal Reef, and Ayungin Shoal.

Albayda is known for championing Kalayaan’s rights and identity in the region. He authored Resolution 156-015, urging media and stakeholders to refer to the entire municipality as Kalayaan, rather than simply Pag-asa Island, to emphasize its standing as a full-fledged political jurisdiction under Presidential Decree 1596 issued by President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1978.

Albayda also authored Resolution 125-015, which declared Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian as persona non grata following the Aug. 5, 2024 incident at Ayungin Shoal, where the China Coast Guard used water cannons to obstruct a Philippine resupply mission to troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as a military outpost.