MANILA, Philippines — The new flag officer in command of the Philippine Navy has vowed to continue to assert the country’s rights in the West Philippine Sea.
Rear Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, who took the helm of the Philippine Navy on Monday, said that they would continue to establish their presence in the West Philippine Sea, which refers to the part of the South China Sea that is claimed by the Philippines.
“We will continue to maintain the nine occupied features in the West Philippine Sea. We will continue to replenish and rotate our personnel in the West Philippine Sea,” he told reporters after the change of command ceremony.
“At all times, we will show the flag in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.
The Philippines occupies nine features in the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan Island Group: Pagasa Island (Thitu), Ayungin (Second Thomas Shoal), Lawak Island (Nanshan), Parola Island (Northeast Cay), Patag Island (Flat), Kota Island (Loaita), Rizal Reef (Commodore), Likas Island (West York), and Panata Island (Lankiam Cay).
Each of the outposts is manned by a small group of Navy and Marine troops. They serve there for a tour of duty that lasts from three to six months.
The biggest of the Philippine-held islands is Pag-asa, which is inhabited by about a hundred civilians and a small batch of troops.
A rusty transport ship BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded to serve as an outpost of the Philippine Navy in Ayungin Shoal.
‘Indisputable sovereignty’
But China claims “indisputable sovereignty” over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. This is manifested in their aggressive actions in the disputed waters.
This claim was invalidated by the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands in 2016, but China has ignored the ruling. President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, has chosen to set it aside in exchange for loans and economic investments from Beijing.
He also argues that the alternative is war, which the Philippines cannot wage because he believes it is no match for China.
/atm