DND: China plan to send tourists to Spratlys a 'security concern'

The reported plan of China to send tourists to the disputed Spratlys is a definite cause for concern, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Tuesday. "Magiging security concern 'yan kasi kapag pumasok 'yan sa territory natin, malaking problema," Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters during a briefing. The Spratlys, a chain of islands and islets in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) believed to be rich in oil and minerals deposits, is being claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. Gazmin issued the statement following published reports saying that China plans to include two island chains in the Spratlys in a cruise route as part of the country's 10-year tourism plan. The DND chief said he has already talked with the defense minister of China about the supposed tourism plan. "Ang napag-usapan namin ay huwag gagawa ng aksyon para hindi lumaki 'yung gulo at let us keep our lines open for communication...we agreed on that," he said. "Tuloy ang usapan para sa ganun ay maayos natin ang problema sa mahinahong paraan," he added. At the same time, Gazmin deferred from commenting on a lawmaker's proposal to also make Spratlys a part of the Philippine's tourism package. "Ang protocol sa atin tungkol sa mga ganyan, DFA muna ang sasagot," he said. During a budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez asked the Department of Tourism to develop the Spratlys into a Philippine tourism spot. “Let’s take a slice of the DOT budget to put up a good airport and build a good port. Put up a hotel, and develop our frontier in our area as a tourist destination. The seas there are very pristine,” the lawmaker said. Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, however, said he wants President Benigno Aquino III’s clearance first before marketing Spratlys as a Philippine tourist destination. — BM/KG/RSJ, GMA News