A Philippine flag flies on a rock in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal
The military’s Northern Luzon Command is keeping close watch on Panatag (Scarborough Shoal) amid concerns triggered by US claims that China intends to construct structures in the disputed territory off the coast of Zambales.
Speaking at a summit of defense chiefs in Singapore Saturday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter warned of “actions being taken” over any Chinese construction on the shoal even as he urged stronger bilateral security cooperation between the two powers to prevent any mishap.
“Our naval and air assets have regular patrols (over) Benham Rise in the east (of Luzon) and Panatag Shoal in the west. What assets I have right now, (I) use them for monitoring, search-and-rescue and interdiction operations,” General Romeo Tanalgo, Nolcom chief, said.
He declined to provide details but assured that Nolcom “provides the necessary search-and rescue and patrol assets for efficient and effective enforcement of maritime law.”
The current tensions in the South China Sea, which have escalated over the past few years since China began building artificial islands and facilities that could be used militarily on features it occupies, can be traced to a 2012 standoff at Scarborough after the Philippine Navy apprehended several Chinese fishermen for poaching.
The US intervened and prevailed on both sides to withdraw. But Chinese coast guard vessels soon returned and, among others, began preventing Filipinos from fishing in the area.
Renato De Castro, convener of the National Security and East Asian Affairs Program of the Alberto del Rosario Institute, told a forum in Camp Aguinaldo earlier this week that the standoff prompted President Benigno Aquino III to negotiate the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US, which was signed in 2014.
The pact allows increased US military presence in the country and the use by the Americans of local facilities. The Philippines and US recently identified five such locations: Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, home of the Western Command (Westcom); Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City; and the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, while assuring the country would continue to insist on its claims over territories in the South China Sea, has also indicated willingness to enter bilateral talks with China, against which local and foreign experts have warned.
http://interaksyon.com/article/128885/nolcom-keeping-close-eye-on-panatag
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.