A ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official announced that plans
are afoot to upgrade its Naval Base Camilo Osias which is located in Sta. Ana
town, Cagayan.
"(What's being developed there) is our capability to
respond and to monitor whatever activities are happening in that area, to
protect our interests in the north," Naval Task Group 11 head Capt. Albert
Mogol said.
Naval Base Camilo Osias, which is equipped with an airstrip,
is presently addressing humanitarian and disaster response activities.
He did not give details on the upgrade plans for security
reasons.
Mogol's statement is very timely considering that activities
of foreign poachers and other intruders are increasing in Cagayan waters along
with those of nearby Batanes.
Recently, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that even
Taiwan Coast Guard ships have been entering waters near Batanes and engaged its
smaller patrol boats in standoffs.
Earlier, the PN announced it will set up more "littoral
observation stations" in Northern Luzon
to beef up its monitoring capability.
This is to expand and improve the PN's maritime situational
awareness capability to detect, monitor and if necessary, drive away intruding
water craft from one's territorial waters.
Mogol said these stations are needed as the country has a
large coastline amounting to 35,000 square kilometers.
He added that the PN has already established "littoral
observatory station" in Basco, Batanes to help monitor the entry of
foreign vessels.
Marine troopers are manning the facility, which shares a
building with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical
Services Administration.
In September 2013, then Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command
chief Gregorio Pio Catapang announced a proposal to put up littoral observatory
stations in Batanes, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, and Aurora.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=791460
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