Since 1993, the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute (UP MSI) has been conducting research on what lies beneath Pag-asa Island — the largest in the Kalayaan Island Group or the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. Last month, UP MSI launched a new page on its website focusing on Pag-asa’s fascinating biodiversity. Scientific studies on the island had often gone through “considerable odds,” since China, Taiwan and Vietnam each claim they own the island — “a speck of green and white, only 37 hectares large” and about 277 miles west of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan, with an estimated population of over 400 residents composed of Filipino civilians, fisherfolk and government personnel.

Fascinating biodiversity. (2026, June 18). The Manila Times, p. B10.