PH approves US plan to build boat maintenance facility in Palawan

MANILA, July 17 ------ The US Embassy said that the Philippine government has approved a project to construct a new boat maintenance facility at Naval Detachment Oyster Bay in Palawan, adding it is not a military base and will be used to service Philippine vessels.

The Visiting Forces Agreement allows US troop presence in the Philippines and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grants access to select Armed Forces of the Philippines facilities. "The facility will provide repair and maintenance capabilities for several small Philippine military watercraft and will include two multi-purpose interior rooms suitable for equipment storage or conference use. The boat maintenance facility is not a military base," the embassy said.

National democratic activist groups like Bagong Alyansang Makabayan see these facilities as de facto bases. The US Embassy stressed that the project is in compliance to all U.S. and Philippine local rules and regulations. "Our US-Philippine alliance, with its roots in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, remains a cornerstone of peace and security, promoting our common vision for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific. All of our military activities in the Philippines are done in full coordination with our Philippine allies," the embassy added.

The Philippine Air Force and US Pacific Air Forces also put up a fuel storage facility at Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base that was inaugurated earlier this year. Naval Detachment Oyster Bay is one of the departure points for Armed Forces of the Philippines' vessels conducting resupply missions to the naval outpost BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

As the Philippines marked the 9th anniversary of its arbitral win against China over its West Philippine Sea claims last Saturday, July 12, the US renewed its call on Beijing to abide by the arbitration ruling. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ruling "was a significant milestone and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between parties in the South China Sea."

Source: news.abs-cbn.com