Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of "Barangay"

⭐ In the context of administrative divisions, Kalayaan, Palawan is considered…

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⭐ Core Definition: Kalayaan, Palawan

Kalayaan, officially the Municipality of Kalayaan (Tagalog: Bayan ng Kalayaan), is a municipality under the jurisdiction of the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 406 people, making it the least populated town in Palawan and in the Philippines.

Part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea, the Kalayaan municipality, which includes Thitu Island (locally known as Pag-asa, the administrative center of Kalayaan Island Group) is 280 nautical miles (320 mi; 520 km) northwest of Puerto Princesa and 932 kilometres (503 nmi; 579 mi) south-west of Metro Manila. It consists of a single barangay named Pag-asa located on Thitu, which also serves as the seat of the municipal government. Besides Thitu Island, the municipality comprises six other islands: West York Island, Northeast Cay, Nanshan Island, Loaita Island, Flat Island (South China Sea) and Lankiam Cay (respectively locally named Likas, Parola, Lawak, Kota, Patag and Panata), and three shoals or reefs: Irving Reef (Balagtas Reef), Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) and Commodore Reef (Rizal Reef). It is the least populated municipality in the Philippines. Kalayaan's annual budget is 47 million pesos (about $1.1 million).

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👉 Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Barangay

The barangay (/bɑːrɑːŋˈɡ/; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically known as the barrio, is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisions of cities and municipalities, and are analogous to villages, districts, neighborhoods, suburbs, or boroughs. The term barangay is derived from balangay, a type of boat used by Austronesian peoples when they migrated to the Philippines.

All cities, including independent cities, and municipalities in the Philippines are politically subdivided into barangays, with the exception of the municipalities of Adams in Ilocos Norte and Kalayaan in Palawan, each of which contains only one barangay. Barangays are sometimes informally subdivided into smaller areas called purok (English: "zone"), or barangay zones consisting of clusters of houses for organizational purposes, and sitios, which are territorial enclaves—usually rural—located far from the poblacion. As of January 2025, there are 42,011 barangays throughout the country.

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In this Dossier

Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Thitu Island

Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Pag-asa, lit.'Island of Hope'); Đảo Thị Tứ (Vietnamese: Đảo Thị Tứ); Zhongye Island (Chinese: 中业岛/中業島; pinyin: Zhōngyè Dǎo), having an area of 37.2 hectares (92 acres), it is the second largest of the naturally occurring islands in Spratly Islands. It lies about 500 kilometers (310 mi) west of Puerto Princesa. Its neighbors are the North Danger Reef to the north, Subi Reef to the southwest, and the Loaita and Tizard Banks to the south. As the poblacion (administrative center) of the Kalayaan municipality of Palawan province in the Philippines, it also administers nearly a dozen other islets, cays and reefs in the Spratly Islands. The island is 270 nautical miles west from Palawan, Philippines.

In 1971 following a storm on the island the island was seized by the Philippines from the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is administered by the Philippines as a part of the Kalayaan municipality of Palawan Province.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of West York Island

West York Island, also known as Likas Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Likas, lit.'Island of Naturality'; Mandarin Chinese: 西月島/西月岛; pinyin: Xīyuè Dǎo; Vietnamese: đảo Bến Lạc), and several other names. With an area of 18.6 hectares (46 acres), it is the third largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands, and the second largest (after Thitu Island) of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is 530 yards (485 m) wide, 330 yards (302 m) long, and its highest elevation is 30 feet (9 m).

The island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan; it is located 47 miles (76 km) northeast of Pagasa Island (Thitu Island), the location of the Philippine defined major town of Kalayaan. Filipino soldiers are stationed on the island.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Northeast Cay

Northeast Cay, also known as Parola Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Parola, lit.'Island of [the] Lighthouse'; Mandarin Chinese: 北子島/北子岛; pinyin: Běizǐ Dǎo; Vietnamese: Đảo Song Tử Đông), with a land area of 12.7 hectares (31 acres), is the fifth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands and the third largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is part of the North Danger Reef and is located to the northwest of Dangerous Ground.

It is 1.75 miles (2.82 km) north of Vietnamese-occupied Southwest Cay (Tagalog: Pugad), and they are visible from each other. It is located 28 miles (45 km) northwest of Philippine-occupied Thitu Island (Pag-asa), and is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Nanshan Island

Nanshan Island, also known as Lawak Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Lawak, lit.'Island of Vastness'; Mandarin Chinese: 馬歡島/马欢岛; pinyin: Mǎhuān Dǎo; Vietnamese: Đảo Vĩnh Viễn), is the eighth largest natural island of the Spratly Islands, and the fourth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands (none of the Philippine-occupied islands have any significant amount of reclaimed land). It has an area of 7.93 hectares (19.6 acres). It is located 98 miles (158 km) east of Thitu Island (Pag-asa).

On April 5, 2024, the island is administered by the Kalayaan Island Group, Philippines as a part of Kalayaan, Palawan by virtue of the Memorandum of Agreement signed by Governor Victorino Dennis M. Socrates, Chairman, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff in partnership with United States Agency for International Development through its “Sustainable Interventions for Biodiversity, Ocean, and Landscapes (Sibol)” project. In September 2022, the PCSD declared it as a critical habitat.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Loaita Island

Loaita Island also known as Kota Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Kota; Mandarin Chinese: 南鑰島/南钥岛; pinyin: Nányào Dǎo, and Vietnamese: Đảo Loại Ta), with an area of 6.45 hectares (15.9 acres) -- is the tenth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands, and the fifth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is located just to the west of the northern part of Dangerous Ground, and is 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Philippine-occupied Thitu Island (Pag-asa) and 22 miles (35 km) north-northeast of Taiwan-occupied Itu Aba Island.

The island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Flat Island (South China Sea)

Flat Island, also known as Patag Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Patag; Mandarin Chinese: 費信島/费信岛; pinyin: Fèixìn Dǎo; Vietnamese: Đảo Bình Nguyên), is the second smallest of the natural Spratly Islands. It has an area of 0.57 hectares (5,700 m), and is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Philippine-occupied Nanshan Island, both of which are located on the expansive but otherwise submerged Flat Island Bank in the northeast part of the Dangerous Ground area in the South China Sea.

It is the sixth largest of the Philippine-occupied Spratly islands and is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan. The island is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Lankiam Cay

Lankiam Cay, also known as Panata Island (Filipino: Pulo ng Panata, lit.'Island of Oath'; Mandarin Chinese: 楊信沙洲/杨信沙洲; pinyin: Yángxìn Shāzhōu; Vietnamese: đá An Nhơn), is the smallest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands. It has an area of 0.44 hectares (1.1 acres) (4,400 sq. m), and is located about 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) east-northeast of Philippine-occupied Loaita (Kota) Island, just west of the north of Dangerous Ground.

The island is administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan, and is the eighth largest of the Philippine-occupied islands. It is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam.

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Kalayaan, Palawan in the context of Irving Reef

Irving Reef, also known as Balagtas Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Balagtas; Mandarin Chinese: 火艾礁; pinyin: Huǒ'ài Jiāo, Vietnamese: đá Cá Nhám), is a coral atoll in the Spratly Islands, South China Sea. It is occupied by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan, and is also claimed by the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Vietnam.

The atoll is 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi) southwest of West York Island. It is 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) in length. There is a sand cay near the northern extremity.

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