AFP chief mulls cruise tours in PHL-owned features in Spratly Islands Group

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 14): AFP chief mulls cruise tours in PHL-owned features in Spratly Islands Group

In a bid to show to the world how beautiful and exotic the Philippine-owned features of the Spratly Islands Group, Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said on Wednesday the military is planning to set up cruise tours which will sail around six of such islands.

"Hopefully, we will be able to put up a cruise ship going around the six islands," he said.

However, Catapang could only give the names of four Philippines-owned areas which the proposed cruise tours would cover and these are Patag, Lawak, Pagasa Islands and Ayungin Shoal.

Aside from the four features, the Philippines also occupies Parola, Likas, Kota, and Panata Islands and Rizal Reef.

As this developed, Catapang urged the Palawan provincial government to make their area more prosperous.

"I challenge them to make Palawan as the next most prosperous province, to showcase it. Palawan has a lot of potentials, especially if we can develop the islands that we now posses as tourism destination," he said.

Catapang said he expects investors to come in for the project.

"It can be a public-private partnership if we are able to develop the area," the AFP chief stressed.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=672885