Improvements and construction of several facilities on Pagasa (Thitu) Island was a “legitimate undertaking” by the Philippine government, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.
The statement came after Washington-based think tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) released a report stating that Manila was undertaking reclamation activities at Pagasa Island, the largest among the nine occupied islands in the Spratly archipelago (Kalayaan Island Group) within the contested West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “Having undergone careful planning and consideration, with full respect to international law and rules-based governing civilised states, implanting these improvements is a legitimate undertaking and well within our rights as a sovereign nation,” Lorenzana said in a statement.
The Defence chief said repairs and construction at Pagasa were also meant to improve the safety, livelihood, welfare and personal security of civilians and military men in Kalayaan, a municipality that was part of Palawan province.
The Defence department had always been “open and transparent” when it came to “conveying and fulfilling the government’s desire to improve” conditions of civilian and military citizens in Barangay Pagasa, the Defence chief said.
Facilities being constructed and restored included a beaching ramp, the air strip or the Rancudo Airfield, barracks for soldiers, desalination facilities, a sewage disposal system, conventional and renewable power generators, and lighthouses, shelters and storage facilities for fishers, Lorenzana said.
The beaching ramp was expected to be finished within the first quarter of this year, he said.
“These planned modest improvements are basic but nonetheless highly essential in delivering social services to raise the standard of living and improve the quality of life of Filipino citizens on the island,” he stressed.
Apart from Pagasa, the Philippines is occupying Likas (West York) Island, Parola (Northeast) Cay, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Kota (Loaita) Island, Patag (Flat) Reef, Panata (Lankiam) Cay, Rizal (Commodore) Reef and Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
As to the reported presence of Chinese vessels in the area, Lorenzana said he was not surprised with Beijing’s move.
Based on the AMTI’s report, several vessels from the People’s Liberation Army-Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard were deployed from Subi (Zamora) Reef to Pagasa.
AMTI said China might have been prompted by the building of the beaching ramp.
“The presence of militia on the Chinese man-made structures is no surprise as they have been there since 2012,” Lorenzana argued.
“We expect other countries to respect Philippine sovereignty and to conduct themselves in a civilised manner befitting members of the global community,” he added.
In July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague favoured the Philippine claim on the West Philippine Sea, invalidating the nine-dash-line claim of China.
President Rodrigo Duterte, however, set aside the legal victory, in exchange for stronger economic ties with China.