General Cirilito Sobejana, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), has visited Pagasa Island as he boosted the morale of the troops in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the military disclosed on Wednesday, June 9.
Sobejana boarded a C-130 transport plane along with other top military officials to personally check on the condition of the troops manning the Naval Station Emilio Liwanag in Pag-Asa Island last Monday. Pagasa Island is the biggest military outpost of the Philippines in the WPS.
" just to see what is really happening there and it is also in line with our plan to convert the island into a logistics hub to sustain our forces being deployed in the area," he said when asked what prompted him to visit Pagasa Island.
Sobejana said he did not receive any radio challenge from China during his flight. Military units patrolling the WPS often receive a radio challenge and a text message from China to inform them that they are supposedly entering China's territory.
"Wala (none), there was no problem. There was no disruption whatsoever and I was able to able to my convey my message to our forces deployed in that part of our archipelago," he noted.
The AFP chief also asserted the country's claims in the WPS and other communities within the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) as he lauded the troops for defending the Philippines' territory.
He said he was confident that his visit will not ignite a new tension between the Philippines and China.
"It is our own. Bakit tayo matatakot? (Why worry?) It is our territory so we can do, we can pursue whatever plans we have for as long as it is for the best interest of our country," he emphasized.
The AFP recently deployed additional air and naval assets under the operational control of Western Command (WESCOM) in Palawan amid the incursion of over 200 Chinese fishing vessels. This is to support the National Task Force-WPS, together with the Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, in performing sovereignty patrols in the WPS.
Prior to visiting Pag-asa Island, the Chief of Staff met with the troops of the 3rd Marine Brigade to extend the AFP’s commendation for keeping the Province of Palawan peaceful, stable, and progressive.
He lauded the unit's contributions in security operations, civil military operations, stakeholder's engagement and COVID-19 mitigation.
The 3rd Marine Brigade and the Marine Battalion Landing Team 4 were awarded by the Chief of Staff with campaign streamers and a monetary reward of P500,000 "for their successful dismantling of a New People's Army guerrilla unit previously operating in Palawan."
On the same day, the AFP Chief also visited BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS35), one of the many ships currently deployed at WESCOM while docked at Puerto Princesa City Pier.
He gave a talk and commended the men and women of the naval ship "for continuously standing watch to ensure the sovereignty and protect the territorial integrity of the country particularly in the WPS."
He also commended the officers and personnel for their role in the successful rescue of 31 fishermen of MB Pauline 2 at Nares Bank in WPS on May 24.
The province of Palawan and the KIG, dubbed as the nation’s final frontier, is challenged with both external and territorial security concerns.
The WESCOM is the vanguard of the country’s western frontier and is tasked to conduct territorial and external defense operations as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster response within these areas of concern.