Lorenzana: Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island ‘never’ interfered with ongoing rehab

Defense chief Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday dismissed a think tank’s report stating that the presence of Chinese vessels in the vicinity of Pag-asa Island (Thitu) has caused delay in the ongoing construction of facilities in the area.

“I do not know where AMTI's allegation came from. It’s totally false. Although there are always Chinese ships in the vicinity of Pag-asa (remember Subi Reef is within seeing distance away by the naked eye), they have never in any way interfered with the rehab of the island,” Lorenzana told GMA News Online.

In its report, the AMTI or the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative stated that the Philippines has slowly made progress on its planned upgrade in the island because of the Chinese militia vessels.

"Officials in Manila have consistently blamed the delays on bad weather, but it seems likely that the constant Chinese militia presence has played a role," the AMTI said.

"The first barge of materials to repair the runway arrived in May 2018. By December, the government had shifted its focus to building a beaching ramp north of the runway to more easily bring in supplies and equipment for the repair work. This is what seems to have provoked the initial Chinese militia deployment," it added.

Lorenzana further explained why there has been a delay in the ongoing rehabilitation of the Pag-asa Island, noting that weather is a big factor in the delay of construction work.

“There was a big problem at the initial stage of the Pag-asa rehab project. The seabed where the beaching ramp was to be built was found to be so hard the contractor had to bring in an appropriate drilling equipment. When work finally started it was slow because of this problem,” Lorenzana said.

“Second, all equipment and materials are shipped from Puerto Princesa. The seas in the Spratlys are usually rough that the contractor's barges can only tranport materials within a small window of time from January to April or May,” he added.

Lorenzana noted that no repair could be made on the Pag-asa runway until the beaching ramp is built as it will be used to bring in the heavy equipment, cement, steel bars, sand and gravel. 

“Without it, no rehab of the island could proceed,” Lorenzana said. — BAP/RSJ, GMA News