The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployed additional assets and personnel in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) to enhance the military’s presence and assert the country’s sovereignty in the area.
Troops from the Philippine Marine Corps, Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard stand in attention to ensure security and safeguard the country's territorial sovereignty in Kalayaan Island Group on July 5, 2023. (Photo: Philippine Marine Corps)
Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, chief of AFP public affairs office, said this was part of the military’s shift to external security operation (ESO) from a “successful” internal security operation (ISO).
“With our substantial gains on ISO, a shift to external security operation is in the horizon as we strengthen our security posture with the increased conduct of aerial and surface maritime patrols through our naval and air force air assets and ground forces,” Ileto said on Tuesday, July 11.
“The deployment of additional surface patrol ships increased the AFP’s presence in the KIG to about 90 percent of the time. This is a dramatic increase from the baseline of 30 percent in 2022,” he added.
Such deployment allowed the monitoring of sea lines of communications of the AFP which are complemented by its littoral monitoring stations/detachments (LMS/LMDs) to detect and monitor foreign ships, track, and subject them to interdiction operations.
KIG, known internationally as the Spratly Group of Islands, is part of an archipelago of more than 600 islets, sandbars, atolls, reefs shoal and cays in the South China Sea. The islands are located northwest of Brunei, the Malaysian State of Sabah, and Palawan.
The municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan comprises the seven islands and two reefs with a total land area of 88.4385 hectares. The islands include Pag-asa Island, the largest of seven and is considered as the seat of the local government of Kalayaan; Lawak Island, Patag Island, Likas Island, Kota Island, Panata Island, and Parola Island. Meanwhile, the reefs consist of Ayungin Reef and Rizal Reef.
But Chinese vessels are frequently monitored in the area as Beijing claims several areas in KIG as its own. Citing geological surveys, the local government of Kalayaan revealed that the KIG “lies atop vast oil and gas reserves.”
To counter China’s presence in KIG, personnel from the Philippine Navy’s (PN) Naval Special Operations Units and Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) were transferred to Palawan last month while the presence of the 4thMarine Brigade in the northern frontier was strengthened as part of the military’s ESO.
Ileto said the AFP also facilitated the completion of personnel barracks in Likas, Parola, and Kota Stations in the KIG, and continues to acquire air surveillance radar systems to increase its monitoring capabilities.
“These are complemented by partnering with our ally and strategic partner armed forces from our global and regional allied countries that enables leveraging of capabilities through information sharing, subject matter expert exchange, and joint and combined maritime exercises,” Ileto noted.