Eugenio_B._Bito-onon_Jr.

Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr.

Eugenio B. Bito-onon Jr.

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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. [1]
    "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. [2]
    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. [3]
    Laude, Jaime (August 6, 2015). "Election fever sweeps Kalayaan Island town". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. [4]
    dela Cruz, Ace. "President-elect Duterte most voted in Pag-asa Island". Updating Filipinos Online. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  5. [5]
    Hayton 2014, p. 105.
  6. [6]
    "Philippines' human buffer against China's land grab". CBS News. June 29, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  7. [7]
    Hayton 2014, p. 106.
  8. [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. [9]
    Campbell, Eric (May 20, 2014). "Reef Madness". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. [10]
    "A Game of Shark And Minnow". The New York Times. Oct 23, 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  11. [11]
    Etzler, Tomas (July 2014). "Wrecks, rats and roaches: Standoff in the South China Sea". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  12. [12]
    Laude, Jaime (August 19, 2014). "Phl fishing boat harassed by Chinese coast guard". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  13. [13]
    Parameswaran, Prashanth (September 29, 2015). "Interview: A Philippine Perspective from the Middle of the South China Sea". The Diplomat. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  14. [14]
    Esmaquel II, Paterno (Oct 2, 2015). "Mayor in Spratlys: Philippines 'caught between 2 lovers'". Rappler. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  15. [15]
    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. [16]
    Orendain, Simone (August 24, 2015). "Philippines Eyes 'Ecotourism Zone' in Disputed S. China Sea". Voice of America. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  17. [17]
    "Kalayaan to Lure Tourists Soon". Palawan Times. Jun 1, 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  18. [18]
    Kaplan 2014, p. 155.
  19. [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. [20]
    "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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