Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr.

Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr. is a Filipino politician and member of the Liberal Party,[1] who has been elected Kalayaan Mayor twice, serving since 2010.[2] He was re-elected in May 2013, winning his re-election bid with 108 votes against rivals Noel Osorio (69 votes) and Rosendo Mantes (46 votes).[3] Bit-onon is running for re-election in 2016.[1][3]

Bito-onon is a pioneer and town planner who moved to Thitu Island in 1997 to help strengthen Filipino sovereignty claims to the South China Sea.[4] Believing that a civilian presence helps to strengthen Filipino claims to the South China Sea.[5] Bito-onon helped to establish the first deliberately settled civilian town in the Spratlys on Thitu Island in 2001.[4] In June 2012, he helped establish the Pag-Asa Elementary School, the first school on Thitu Island.[4] Referred to by Hayton as Cloma's heir, Bito-onon also oversaw the completion of a small statue of Tomas Cloma on Thitu Island.[6]

Bito-onon is a strong supporter of Filipino sovereignty and vocal critic of Chinese activities in the South China Sea.[2][7] Bit-onon has also actively promoted international awareness of the Filipino view of the dispute, having hosted and acted as a guide for multiple international news organizations, including Seth Doane from CBS News,[5] Eric Campbell from ABC News,[8] and other reporters, including ones from the New York Times,[9] CNN[10] and the Asahi Shimbun,[11][12] in tours of the Filipino-held islands of the South China Sea. He has had several encounters with the Chinese Coast Guard while travelling around the Filipino-occupied Spratly Islands.[8][9][11][12]

Bito-onon advocates greater US involvement in the South China Sea dispute.[2][13] He has visited the US and held meetings with the Filipino-American community to promote awareness and elicit support for his cause.[13][12][14] He also promotes turning the Spratly Islands into an ecotourism zone[3][12][14][15][16]

Bito-onon claims that the energy resources in the South China Sea are enough to support China's needs for the next 105 years.[2] Thus, he believes that the Philippines should occupy the remaining unoccupied islets in the South China Sea,[3] as the possible energy resources would also safeguard Filipino energy independence.[2]

Based primarily in Puerto Princesa, where his office resides,[6][17][18] Bito-onon is generally only able to visit Thitu Island once a year.[10] His wife lives and works in Puerto Princesa.[12][19] Together, they have two sons[19]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Mayor of Kalayaan Island ready to face challenger". Politiko Luzon. Aug 6, 2015. Retrieved Oct 27, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hernández, Javier C. (September 28, 2015). "Q. and A.: Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr. on China’s Island Expansion". New York Times. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Laude, Jaime (August 6, 2015). "Election fever sweeps Kalayaan Island town". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Hayton 2014, p. 105.
  5. 1 2 "Philippines' human buffer against China's land grab". CBS News. June 29, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 Hayton 2014, p. 106.
  7. ↑ "China's new fishing policy 'absurd'- Kalayaan island mayor". Philippines News Agency. January 15, 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  8. 1 2 Campbell, Eric (May 20, 2014). "Reef Madness". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. 1 2 "A Game of Shark And Minnow". New York Times. Oct 23, 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. 1 2 Etzler, Tomas (July 2014). "Wrecks, rats and roaches: Standoff in the South China Sea". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  11. 1 2 Laude, Jaime (August 19, 2014). "Phl fishing boat harassed by Chinese coast guard". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Parameswaran, Prashanth (September 29, 2015). "Interview: A Philippine Perspective from the Middle of the South China Sea". The Diplomat. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. 1 2 Esmaquel II, Paterno (Oct 2, 2015). "Mayor in Spratlys: Philippines ‘caught between 2 lovers’". Rappler. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  14. 1 2 Jun, Nucum (October 10, 2015). "Mayor rallies Fil-Am support for threatened island in West PH Sea". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  15. ↑ Orendain, Simone (August 24, 2015). "Philippines Eyes 'Ecotourism Zone' in Disputed S. China Sea". Voice of America. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  16. ↑ "Kalayaan to Lure Tourists Soon". Palawan Times. Jun 1, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  17. ↑ Kaplan 2014, p. 155.
  18. ↑ Moss, Trefor (May 23, 2014). "Countries Around South China Sea Bolster Claims With Island Outposts". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Filipinos fly flag in South China Sea". Zamboanga Today. July 19, 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

References

  • Hayton, Bill (2014). The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia. Yale University Press. 
  • Kaplan, Robert D. (2014). "Chapter 6: America's Colonial Burden". Asia's Cauldron: The South China Sea and the End of a Stable Pacific. Random House Publishing Group. 
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