‘Halted construction on Pag-asa won’t weaken PH claim’

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines believes its decision to halt its infrastructure upgrade on Pag-asa Island would not weaken its claim in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a Palace official said on Saturday, October 4.

In an interview with state-run Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Philippines has chosen refrain from actions in the West Philippine Sea “that may be construed as ramping up tensions or trying to provoke any of the claimant countries.”

“In our view, it will not weaken our position,” Valte said, when asked about the possible repercussion of the strategy on the Philippine claim in the disputed area.

She added, “After the assessment of that particular situation, it was concluded that it would be best for the time being, considering that we have already filed a case in the arbitral tribunal, just to maintain our position and our footing in that particular case.”

There were plans to repair and upgrade the Rancudo Airstrip in Pag-asa Island, but President Benigno Aquino III ordered to put it on hold  to “not disturb the status quo” pending the Philippines’ arbitration case against China over its claims in the West Philippine Sea.

Valte echoed the pronouncement Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that the strategy would allow the country to keep its “moral high ground” on the matter. (READ: China turns tables on PH over ‘moratorium’ on tensions)

“We wanted to maintain the moral high ground in light of the case we filed at the (UN) arbitration tribunal regarding the West Philippine Sea,” she said.

Despite the suspension of the infrastructure upgrade beginning mid-2014, Valte said that the government has other means to deliver the basic needs of the residents in the island.

Pag-asa (Tithu) is the biggest island that the Philippines occupies in the West Philippine Sea. It is also the country’s seat of power in the area. The island is also being claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

It is populated by several hundred Filipinos, and contains a town hall, a military post, a health center, and a school.

The runway is used mainly by military aircraft to resupply the Filipino troops guarding the island and nearby rocks, as well as a small community of Filipino civilians living on Thitu.

The airstrip project, as well as acquisitions of navy vessels, were part of Aquino’s efforts to upgrade the capability of the Philippine military, one of the most poorly equipped in the region.

The Philippines and China have been involved in several tense confrontations in the South China Sea in recent months, elevated by the former’s move to ask a United Nations tribunal to declare Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea a violation of international law.

China claims almost all of the sea, a vital avenue for world trade that is also believed to harbour vast oil and gas reserves.

But its claims overlap in parts with those of the Philippines, as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. – with reports from Agence France-Presse Rappler.com