Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), was satisfied with the status of the ongoing construction of various infrastructure projects on Pagasa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Brawner flew to Pagasa Island with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Thursday, Oct. 5, to check on the development projects there and said he was "happy" with what he saw.
"The last time I was there, the runway, the surface of the runway was still dirt. But this time when we landed, we landed on concrete. It was very nice. It was extended," Brawner said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 6.
According to Brawner, the House of Representatives proposed to allocate P3 billion to fund various development projects on Pag-asa Island.
These include an airport reclamation extension, a naval port, and a fishing sanctuary.
"I also saw that there was electricity already in the area. The last time I was there, there was no electricity," Brawner noted.
Brawner and Romualdez were accompanied by Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos, commander of the Western Command; House Majority Leader Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe; House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan; and House Committee on Appropriation Chairman and Ako Bicol Party List Representative Zaldy Co.