MANILA -- One-hundred and thirty-one features of the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan will have Philippine names.
This comes after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signing of Executive Order 111, "which strengthens administration and governance, as well as sovereignty, in Palawan and the West Philippine Sea (WPS)."
In a Palace news release, they said President Marcos issued the EO last March 26 in line with existing maritime laws and policies.
The National Maritime Council recommended the adoption of the standard set of Philippine names for 131 features of the KIG located in Kalayaan, Palawan, and the West Philippine Sea.
The council stated that "it is imperative to adopt a standard set of Philippine names for maritime features in the KIG to ensure efficient administration and governance of the area and to exercise the country’s sovereignty in the WPS."
The Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea has often been a topic of debate both locally and in regional talks.
The same EO also directed the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) to produce and publish updated charts and maps that reflect the names set forth in the issuance.
It "likewise directed all national government agencies, instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and government financial institutions, to use the names set forth in the EO in all official communications, messages, and documents."
Marcos also directed the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and all state universities and colleges are to use the local names in educational and training institutions.
This includes the conduct of researches, publishing textbooks, and preparing educational or instructional materials.