Philippines unveils new coast guard command in disputed South China Sea
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The Philippine Coast Guard command centre on Thitu Island will cover an area of about 68,000 sq km.
PHOTO: AFP
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THITU ISLAND, The Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) unveiled on April 9 its first dedicated command centre in the Spratly island chain, a flashpoint in the disputed South China Sea that has been the site of repeated confrontations with Chinese vessels.
The headquarters of a newly established coast guard district, formerly overseen from neighbouring Palawan, will cover an area of about 68,000 sq km.
An Agence France-Presse journalist travelling to the new command centre on Pag-asa Island, known as Thitu in the Philippines, saw multiple Chinese coast guard vessels patrolling nearby waters.
The vessels issued radio warnings to the plane carrying the journalist.
Beijing claims the South China Sea in nearly its entirety, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
Pag-asa will now have a commodore-level commander on site, PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan told reporters after an “activation” ceremony on April 9, along with a permanently stationed ship, more response vessels and an unspecified number of specialists.
“The establishment of the coast guard district here will also enhance the psyche, the mindset of each and every coast guard member, that… the defence of Kalayaan island group is a top priority,” Admiral Gavan said, using the Filipino name for the Spratlys.
The move will also include the dredging of a deeper port that will allow for the docking of coast guard vessels, which must currently ferry personnel to and from Pag-asa on small boats.
The far-flung Kota and Parola islands will also see their substations raised to full station status, PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said.
The Pag-asa upgrade, meanwhile, will mean a bigger budget for greater community assistance to the island’s inhabitants, including more teachers and doctors, he added.
Pag-asa is home to about 400 Filipinos, mostly fishermen and their families. China accuses them of living there illegally.
The Philippines revealed in March plans to rename more than 100 island features in the Spratlys in a bid to reinforce its “sovereignty” in the South China Sea.
China subsequently accused Manila of breaking international law while threatening unspecified measures to protect its own claims. AFP
