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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 failed in his re-election bid in 2016, [1] [3] coming in second place with 59 votes and losing to the eventual winner Roberto "Choy" M, del Mundo with 142 votes. [4]

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. [5] Believing that a civilian presence helps to strengthen Filipino claims to the South China Sea. [6] Bito-onon helped to establish the first deliberately settled civilian town in the Spratlys on Thitu Island in 2001. [5] In June 2012, he helped establish the Pag-Asa Elementary School, the first school on Thitu Island. [5] Referred to by Hayton as Cloma's heir, Bito-onon also oversaw the completion of a small statue of Tomas Cloma on Thitu Island. [7]

Bito-onon is a strong supporter of Filipino sovereignty and vocal critic of Chinese activities in the South China Sea. [2] [8] 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, [6] Eric Campbell from ABC News, [9] and other reporters, including ones from The New York Times , [10] CNN [11] and the Asahi Shimbun, [12] [13] 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. [9] [10] [12] [13]

Bito-onon advocates greater US involvement in the South China Sea dispute. [2] [14] He has visited the US and held meetings with the Filipino-American community to promote awareness and elicit support for his cause. [14] [13] [15] He also promotes turning the Spratly Islands into an ecotourism zone. [3] [13] [15] [16] [17]

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, [7] [18] [19] Bito-onon is generally only able to visit Thitu Island once a year. [11] His wife lives and works in Puerto Princesa. [13] [20] Together, they have two sons. [20]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Mayor of Kalayaan Island ready to face challenger". Politiko Luzon. Aug 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved Oct 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hernández, Javier C. (September 28, 2015). "Q. and A.: Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr. on China's Island Expansion". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Laude, Jaime (August 6, 2015). "Election fever sweeps Kalayaan Island town". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. ^ dela Cruz, Ace. "President-elect Duterte most voted in Pag-asa Island". Updating Filipinos Online. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Hayton 2014, p. 105.
  6. ^ a b "Philippines' human buffer against China's land grab". CBS News. June 29, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b Hayton 2014, p. 106.
  8. ^ "China's new fishing policy 'absurd'- Kalayaan island mayor". Philippines News Agency. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. ^ a b Campbell, Eric (May 20, 2014). "Reef Madness". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. ^ a b "A Game of Shark And Minnow". The New York Times. Oct 23, 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  11. ^ a b Etzler, Tomas (July 2014). "Wrecks, rats and roaches: Standoff in the South China Sea". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  12. ^ a b Laude, Jaime (August 19, 2014). "Phl fishing boat harassed by Chinese coast guard". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. ^ a b c d e Parameswaran, Prashanth (September 29, 2015). "Interview: A Philippine Perspective from the Middle of the South China Sea". The Diplomat. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  14. ^ a b Esmaquel II, Paterno (Oct 2, 2015). "Mayor in Spratlys: Philippines 'caught between 2 lovers'". Rappler. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  15. ^ a b Jun, Nucum (October 10, 2015). "Mayor rallies Fil-Am support for threatened island in West PH Sea". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  16. ^ Orendain, Simone (August 24, 2015). "Philippines Eyes 'Ecotourism Zone' in Disputed S. China Sea". Voice of America. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  17. ^ "Kalayaan to Lure Tourists Soon". Palawan Times. Jun 1, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  18. ^ Kaplan 2014, p. 155.
  19. ^ Moss, Trefor (May 23, 2014). "Countries Around South China Sea Bolster Claims With Island Outposts". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  20. ^ a b "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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