Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Wednesday defended the local officials of Kalayaan, Palawan, after the Chinese government barred them from entering China over resolutions declaring the Chinese ambassador 'persona non grata.'

Remulla expressed full support for the officials of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), saying he plans to personally visit the municipality to reaffirm the Philippines’ sovereignty over the disputed territory.

“I will go there myself, then [China] should ban me,” Remulla said in a text message.

“The Kalayaan Group of Islands is part of our territorial waters. We have been inhabiting it for over a century. In fact, it has its own LGU. I will pay them a visit soon to reinvigorate our sovereign claim,” he added.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila earlier announced that 16 officials from the Municipality of Kalayaan are now prohibited from entering mainland China, including Hong Kong and Macao.

The embassy said the move was made under the “principle of reciprocity.”

In a statement, Chinese Embassy Spokesperson Ji Lingpen said the ban was in response to resolutions passed by the Kalayaan municipal council in 2023 and 2026 declaring the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines persona non grata in the municipality.

“The so-called ‘Kalayaan Municipality’ council of the Philippines adopted resolutions in 2023 and 2026 declaring the Chinese ambassador to be a ‘persona non grata’ in the municipality,” Ji said.

Remulla, however, emphasized that Kalayaan is part of Philippine territory and has its own functioning local government unit (LGU), underscoring Manila’s longstanding claim over the KIG in the West Philippine Sea.