AFP eyes deployment of add’l Marine troops near Spratlys

The Philippine military is mulling the transfer of a Sulu-based Marine battalion to Palawan near the disputed West Philippine Sea, citing “territorial defense operation.”

A source said this is being studied by the military top brass in Camp Aguinaldo in coordination with the Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command.

“That’s being planned by GHQ (General Headquarters) but there is still no confirmation to it. It is still being discussed,” a ranking official said Tuesday.

Palawan is near the Spratly Islands, a chain of islands and islets believed to be rich in oil and minerals deposits in the West Philippine Sea, which is a portion of the vast South China Sea that is the subject of a territorial dispute between China and the Philippines.

A second source said the affected battalion, which is from the 2nd Marine Brigade, will be attached to the Palawan-based 3rd Marine Brigade, an undersized unit with only two battalions or more or less 1,000 men under its control.

“The plan is to pull out one battalion from Sulu and move it to Palawan,” the second source said. “Typically, one brigade is composed of three battalions but the 3rd Marine Brigade in Palawan only has two battalions.”

He added that the 3rd Marine Brigade “needs another battalion to become a full complement brigade.”

The 2nd Marine Brigade, on the other hand, has five battalions. Officials earlier said the brigade will be downsized to pave the way for the deployment of Army soldiers in Sulu, a bailiwick of the notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit group.

Asked on why pick Palawan for the transfer, another source said: “We have the West Philippine Sea [issue], so it's for territorial defense operation.”

The Philippines has a pending arbitration case before The Hague-based UN Permanent Court of Arbitration contesting China's nine-dotted line claim over the South China Sea. Beijing has ignored the proceedings and has insisted on bilateral talks.

Arbitration has become the Philippines' last option in its negotiations with China. Prior to launching a case at the UN tribunal, at least 15 bilateral meetings between both countries were conducted, but Chinese demands made negotiations difficult.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan all have overlapping claims over the waters – a major trade route teeming with rich marine life and said to be harboring vast oil and mineral deposits. —KBK, GMA News