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A Filipino youth group will push through with its plan to sail towards Philippine-held territories in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) despite opposition from military and defense officials.
Kalayaan Atin Ito, a volunteer group composed mostly of young members, said it will push through with its plan to sail towards Pag-asa Island on Tuesday, a day after its original schedule.
According to the group, the arrival of some volunteers from Visayas were delayed due to bad weather, prompting them to move their schedule by a day.
"The flights of some volunteers were cancelled due to weather conditions in Visayas. Due to this development, we need to adjust our schedule. We will wait for all volunteers until Tuesday," said Mariel Ipan, one of the group's volunteers, adding that the voyage will push through.
The group earlier said the voyage will involve 10,000 volunteers, mostly from the youth sector. The voyage aims to help the government assert its claims in the disputed territories. The plan was for volunteers to board 81 boats, representing all the provinces.
When asked how many will join the voyage, Jimson Ahaja, the group's coordinator in Sulu, said they are still waiting for all the volunteers from different provinces.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez earlier opposed the plan due to the voyage's possible negative implication to the ongoing territorial dispute.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin also asked the group not to push through with the voyage because of the bad weather in the area.
The group, however, reiterated that they will push through with the voyage, adding that what they are doing is for the country.
"We are optimistic that the DND and AFP will understand and eventually support our voyage because this is in support to the government's effort to assert our right in our own sea," Ipan said, commenting on the opposition of DND and AFP officials.
"Our voyage will proceed. There is no law that prohibits us from fighting for our right in a peaceful manner and within the bounds of the law. It's time for us to unite and help each other. This is a fight for the entire Filipino people," she added.
Ipan also said they will follow the advice of the military and local government officials.
"We will comply with the number of people that can be accommodated by Kalayaan municipality since that is the advice of Mayor (Eugenio) Bito-onon," Ipan said.
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