Pag-asa island is the second largest island of the hotly contested Spratlys group of island. It is a little less than 33 hectares with a population of about 200, and it is one of the poorest villages in the Philippines. But China and Vietnam are also claiming it.
With tensions still rising over the Spratlys group of islands, tour guide and cultural activist Carlos Celdran thought the best way a civilian of the social media capital of the world can help the national government is…through Facebook. Never mind the slow Internet connection—this is the one occassion that we can live with that.
READ: PH has slowest Internet speed in Southeast Asia
He set up the “It’s No Fun in Pagasa” Facebook page as a two-way street: as mental stimulation for the inhabitants of the island, and as a way for us to learn more about and even help with this whole Spratlys situation.
“The goal of the ‘It’s No Fun in Pagasa’ is to educate Filipinos about issues of patrimony and sovereignty over our share of the Spratlys. We also hope to show how we as civilians can get involved in strengthening these claims. We can keep these islands as Filipino through sustainable technology and creativity. It won’t take military action,” Celdran said in an Inquirer.net report.
He looks to Vietnam and Malaysia, which have built resorts in their respective islands. “I think we as citizens should do our part, too…let the government take the hard line, let the Filipino people add the soft touches in keeping our islands complete as 7,107,” the report quotes Celdran’s email.
The Facebook page, which went live on Sunday, April 20. As of Wednesday morning, it has over 800 likes. Like mo na!
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