File photo of Lt. General Roy Deveraturda from Central Command website.
A lieutenant general has just been given the formidable post of lone area commander for the West Philippine Sea, flashpoint in the country’s territorial disputes with China, just as tensions are rising anew over the latest incident: Beijing’s use of water cannons on Filipino fishermen.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has designated Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda lone area commander in charge of all military operations in the West Philippine Sea—Manila’s name for that part it claims in the South China Sea area that Beijing claims in entirety.
AFP Chief General Emmanuel Bautista signed last week the orders for Deveraturda, commander of Western Command (Westcom), as WPS commander, according to the AFP public affairs chief, Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala.
The Westcom commander now has jurisdiction over all of WPS including Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, an area under de facto Chinese occupation even though it is well within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
A standoff over fishing rights between Chinese and Philippine forces in April 2012 was resolved but only for a short time. Chinese maritime surveillance vessels routinely back up dozens of Chinese fishing boats.
Westcom, based in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, is set to acquire the first two units of 12 FA-50 “Golden Eagle” lead-in trainer jets that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will buy from the Republic of Korean Air Force (ROKAF). The trainer jets, worth P18.9 billion, are made by Korean Aerospace, Inc. (KAI) and are meant to boost the Philippines’ territorial patrol capability.
Panatag, just off Masinloc town in Zambales, has been virtually “roped off” by China as its own since the 2012 standoff. The area used to be under the area command of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) based in Camp Aquino in Tarlac City. It is currently led by Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang.
Bautista said the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons on January 27 to drive away Filipino fishermen from the area, a report that President Benigno Aquino III has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to get to the bottom of—and to issue a protest.
According to the AFP, the new WPS command setup is meant to enhance external defense capabilities that are now concentrated at Westcom.
All sea and air assets deployed for territorial defense, whether based at NOLCOM and its naval unit, the Naval Forces Northern Luzon based in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, are all under the command of the WPS (Westcom) commander.
Other areas to watch
Besides the Panatag Shoal, Westcom also has to guard portions of Spratly Islands where the municipality of Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) just off Palawan is located. KIG is composed of 2 islets and 7 reefs, including Ayungin which China has also been posting since last year.
The Philippine Marines has a detachment in Ayungin. The military sentries are housed at the grounded Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre.
KIG is currently under the leadership of Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, who presides over a political office based in Pagasa Island (inhabitants: 300 civilians, not to include military personnel deployed on the island).
Manila is due to submit next month a Memorial before a UN arbitral tribunal where it filed a complaint last year, saying Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line over the South China Sea is excessive.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/81530/west-philippine-sea-gets-a-new-commander-as-row-with-china-escalates-anew
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