PH to develop Pag-asa, Lawak islands in West PH Sea —Brawner

The Philippines will develop islands it is occupying in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner told reporters on Monday.

“We're trying to improve that. Lahat especially mga islands na in-occupy natin. Tuloy-tuloy naman po naman po iyong ginagawa natin iyong pag-develop ng facilities natin,” he said.

(We’re trying to improve that. All, especially the islands that we are occupying. The development of our facilities is continuous.)

Brawner said among the islands that will be developed are Manila-occupied Thitu (Pag-asa) and Nanshan (Lawak) islands.

Pag-asa and Lawak Islands are part of the Kalayaan Group of Islands, which is part of WPS. The Philippines includes areas of the South China Sea that falls within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf as part of the West Philippine Sea.

Asked about the possibility of China’s negative reaction about the move, Brawner said the AFP is just taking care of its soldiers and trying to improve their conditions.

“Ang ginagawa lang po natin we're just trying to make it more liveable, more habitable for our soldiers dahil mahirap talaga ang conditions nila,” Brawner said.

(What we are doing is we’re just trying to make it more liveable, more habitable for our soldiers because their conditions are really difficult.)

“May budget na. Incorporated iyan sa budget ng Armed Forces. Every year mayroon tayong budget for the improvement of facilities,” he added.

(We already have a budget. It is incorporated in the budget of the Armed Forces. Every year we have a budget for the improvement of facilities.)

Command conference

Brawner made the statement right after a command conference, which was presided over by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Marcos is the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

On December 30, 2023, China opposed the idea of the Philippines building a civilian facility in the Ayungin Shoal.

Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about the remarks made by AFP spokesperson Colonel Medel Aguilar on the Philippines considering building on the shoal.

"Ren’ai Jiao (China's name for Ayungin Shoal) is an uninhabited shoal," Mao said.

"According to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed by China and ASEAN countries, parties should keep Ren’ai Jiao uninhabited and facility-free," she added.

Mao reiterated China's claim that the Ayungin Shoal is part of its territory.

Chinese “aggression”

The Philippines has repeatedly called out China over its repeated aggression in the WPS that include the ramming and firing of water cannons at Philippine vessels.

Tensions between China and Philippines have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a series of incidents in the WPS.

China claims most of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Indonesia. 

The July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling issued by an international tribunal upheld the Philippines' 200 nautical mile Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ), outlawed Chinese aggression in the common fishing ground of Scarborough Shoal, and rejected China’s expansive nine-dash-line claim of the entire South China Sea

According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the ruling has “violated the principle of state consent, exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and rendered an award in disregard of the law.”

“Such an award is illegal, null and void, and completely invalid. China does not accept or recognize it, and will never accept any claim or action based on the award,” it said.

Further, China said its dispute with the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea is “in essence a dispute of territorial sovereignty, which is beyond the scope of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and does not concern the interpretation or application of the UNCLOS.”

China cited Article 298 of UNCLOS when it excluded issues relating to maritime boundary delimitation from the jurisdiction of a court or tribunal in 2006. — RSJ/GMA Integrated News with Reuters