Coast Guard Station Kalayaan Island Group (Photo from Philippine Coast Guard)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday inaugurated its new and improved station in Pagasa Island, Palawan in the West Philippine Sea.
PCG chief Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said the newly inaugurated three-story Coast Guard Station Kalayaan building will have advanced maritime domain awareness technology such as radar, automatic identification, satellite communication, coastal cameras, and vessel traffic management.
Gavan said these state-of-the-art systems will significantly enhance the PCG’s capability to monitor the movements of Chinese maritime forces, as well as public vessels and aircraft.
In December 2021, the Coast Guard Station Kalayaan Island Group was completely destroyed by Super Typhoon Odette, leaving only the Philippine flag standing where the structure was once situated.
Pag-asa Island is the largest island in the Kalayaan Island Group serving as the seat of the local government of the Municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan.
More than 400 civilian locals — including some 70 children — call the island home together with stationed military, law enforcement, and civilian government personnel.
China, however, asserts ownership over Pagasa Island in line with its sovereignty claim in the entire South China Sea, which was effectively dismissed by an international tribunal ruling in 2016.