Two islands in Subic Bay are being considered as military reservations by the national government, according to the Philippine Navy (PN).
Portions of the Grande Island and Chiquita Island, located at the southern entrance of Subic Bay, will be occupied by the Navy once they are converted into military reservations, according to Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“The thrust right now of the Philippine Navy is to prepare for the eventual occupation or preparation of the land that will be awarded through a presidential proclamation declaring part of SBMA [Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority] and Grande Island, Chiquita Island as military reservations.
Grande Island is considered by the Department of National Defense (DND) as a strategic vantage point as it offers a clear view of key sea lanes in the WPS, including Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal), where China maintains an armada of warships, coast guard vessels, and militia boats.
This is why Trinidad stressed the importance of turning the two islands into military reservations so that they could gain a foothold in the Subic Bay area, a former United States Navy base.
“The natural layout of Subic Bay provides safe harbors for our ships,” the admiral said. A runway also exists in Subic Bay which can be used to accommodate aircraft during missions.
But he clarified that the effort to turn the two islands into military reservations had nothing to do with the recent arrest of foreigners on Grande Island two weeks ago.
Authorities nabbed five Chinese nationals, a Cambodian, and two Filipinos on Grande Island last March 13 due to suspected espionage and kidnapping activities related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
“The foreign nationals that were arrested on Grande Island were there even before the talks of having that as a naval reservation,” Trinidad said.