Kalayaan

See also: kalayaan

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog kalayaan

Proper noun

Kalayaan

1. Synonym of Spratly Islands
   • 1987, A. James Gregor, Virgilio Aganon, The Philippine Bases: U.S. Security at Risk‎^[1], Ethics and Public Policy Center, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, pages 23–24:

     As recently as April 1983, Cesar Virata, then prime minister of the Philippines, warned all claimants to the territory in the South China Sea that any attempt to reclaim the Kalayaan Islands would be "considered an assault against the Republic of the Philippines" and would receive appropriate rebuff.

   • 1998, Bilveer Singh, edited by Frank Columbus, Asian Economic and Political Issues‎^[2], volume 1, Commack, NY: Nova Science Publishers, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 5:

     While the Philippines first asserted its claim unofficially in 1956, by 1971, the Manila Government had claimed that it controlled seven islands in the Kalayaan group, which are often regarded as part of the Spratly group but denied by the Philippines on grounds that they are located 200 miles northeast of the main Spratly group and hence seen by the Philippines as more of a contiguous territory of the Palawan Island. In 1956, a Filipino national, Thomas Cloma, claimed to have discovered 33 islands in the region and named them the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands. Arguing that the territory was unoccupied until 1956, in 1971 the Philippines formally claimed over 60 islands and reef in the Kalayaan chain. These islands have been grouped together as an administrative district of Palawan Province.