Aerial view of Pag-asa island, where two foreign aircraft flew over recently, in file photo. ABIGAIL KWOK, INTERAKSYON.COM
The military has yet to verify the identity of two aircraft that intruded into Philippine territory at the West Philippine Sea last week, and said it was not letting down its guard, expecting further incursions.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said this was not the first time that foreign aircraft flew over Philippine territory in the disputed Spratly islands. He admitted authorities were having some difficulty verifying the identity of the aircraft, presumably fighter jets, as these flew at high speed and at high altitude.
Major General Rustico Guerrero, commander of the Armed Forces’ Western Command, said they would not speculate as to where the two aircraft came from, but said this incident only showed the immediate need to upgrade the military's capability in external defense.
"It's still for verification [because they were flying at very high altitude, so it was hard for our units to verify]," Guerrero told reporters.
The Philippine Navy reported sightings of two unidentified aircraft passing at high speed and high altitude over the vicinity of Pag-asa Islands on the morning of April 4. The two aircraft were headed north coming from the southwest.
"The Philippine Navy remains vigilant and committed to its mandate of securing the country's maritime domains - notwithstanding limitations in its naval and air assets that continue to conduct sovereignty patrols in West Philippine Sea," said Colonel Edgard Arevalo, the designed Navy spokesman on the West Philippine Sea issue.
Guerrero said the military has intensified its monitoring on intrusions in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines and Vietnam have in recent months tangled with China on their overlapping claims in the disputed maritime zone, with a standoff in the Panatag (Scarborough Shoal) off Zambales province hogging the headlines for months.
Last weekend, China announced plans to step up infrastructure development in two disputed isles, Paracels and Sansha, with a view to making pit stops for tourists on cruise ships at these places part of a tourism program.
The move is seen to heighten apprehension about Chinese expansion in the region.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/58939/afp-still-unable-to-identify-intruding-aircraft
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.