OPPOSING Malacañang’s call to the House of Representatives to review the baselines bill, a proadministration legislator dared his colleagues to “do what is right and put the Kalayaan Island Group inside the country’s baseline.”

Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino Rep. Antonio Alvarez, in whose Palawan district the Municipality of  Kalayaan is located, said the fear, hinted by some officials, of China going to war if a law will declare the group of islands west of Palawan as inside the main archipelagic border has no basis.

Palace officials have asked congressional leaders to treat the Kalayaan Island Group as a “regime of islands” that will be outside and detached from the main archipelagic baseline.

Legislators are planning to pass on third and final reading House Bill 3216, or “An Act Defining the Archipelagic Baselines of the Philippine Archipelago, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act 3046, as Amended by Republic Act 5446,” when Congress resumes session on April 21.

But Alvarez said Congress “should do what is right, put the Kalayaan Islands inside the baseline, and if other countries don’t like it then they can register their opposition in the right way and in the proper forum, the way civilized nations do.”

“That’s the way to do it, rather than surrender the claims right from the start in an act of self-forfeiture,” he said.

Alvarez brushed aside fears that Beijing will take drastic action against the Philippines should the latter draw a map that will embrace Kalayaan as part of one contiguous territory.

He said that China’s hosting of the Olympics in August will prevent it from resorting to bully tactics once the Philippines put the Spratlys inside its archipelagic baseline.

“The Beijing Olympics has put China on its best behavior. There’s so much at stake in the Games for China, to risk any improper action that will make it look like a bully in the eyes of the world,” he said.

“If it will take a hostile action against us, you can just imagine the worldwide condemnation it will invite. The Olympics will be boycotted. The protests will be widespread that the Tibetan disturbance will look like a schoolyard fight compared with what we can do,” he added.

“For one, there are seven million Filipinos worldwide, with a large presence in every country, so for sure thousands of them will be ready with fire extinguishers along the route of the Olympic torch relay, and that’s just one form of action. On one profession alone, nursing, a coordinated walkout of nurses will shut down hospitals across the world. In Hong Kong, you can just imagine the Sunday crowd overseas Filipinos can gather. Sa abroad pa lang iyan, wala pa ang puwede nating gawin dito. We will fight,” Alvarez said. 

Earlier, Speaker Prospero Nograles announced that he will meet with members of the House foreign affairs committee and the heads of the parties composing the majority coalition, hoping to come out with a formula on how to best resolve conflicting positions among the three branches of the government.

Settlers get 300 housing units from Hanjin

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Amid the controversy over the construction by Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC-Phil) of an apartment complex, the South Korean investor silently turned over some 300 housing units to families affected by its shipyard-expansion program at the Redondo Peninsula here.

OPPOSING Malacañang’s call to the House of Representatives to review the baselines bill, a proadministration legislator dared his colleagues to “do what is right and put the Kalayaan Island Group inside the country’s baseline.”

A SENIOR House leader has joined the Philippine Association of Independent Power Producers (Pippa) in its demand to strip the National Power Corp. (Napocor) the right to procure coal and oil under the proposed measure to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira).

THE Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., is trying to strike a bargain with some of the 28 military officers accused of mutiny over still unknown reasons, a defense lawyer said on Thursday.

THE ongoing drive of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to reduce the number of buses plying Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (Edsa) by going after colorum and out-of-line buses is doomed to fail, unless government agencies involved in the franchising, regulation and registration of the public-utility vehicles get their act together.

CITY OF MALOLOS—Here’s good news to public servants who are willing to give their best to improve the lives of their constituents.

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza is confident that the Investment Defense Force (IDF) that Malacañang has activated will address security concerns being raised by both local and foreign mining investors following recent attacks in some of the mining projects in the Philippines.

WITH an expected influx of about 12 million passengers this year, the Manila International Airport Authority (Miaa) has accepted a donation of 1,500 baggage trolleys and 12 “jumbo” carts to add to an existing 1,500, hoping that this would be enough to prevent the shortage of pushcarts during peak arrivals and departures.