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Washington to strengthen military presence in the Philippines with new facilities next to the disputed South China Sea

The embassy explained in a statement that the project will be carried out in Oyster Bay and Quezon City, in the western province of Palawan.

Western vessels in the South China Sea.

Western vessels in the South China Sea.AFP PHOTO / ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES.

Williams Perdomo
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Williams Perdomo

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The U.S. Embassy reported that the Navy will build two centers for the maintenance and repair of Philippine military vessels in a province off the South China Sea, an area marked by rising tensions between the Philippine and Chinese Coast Guards.

The embassy explained in a statement that the project will be carried out in Oyster Bay and Quezon City, in the western province of Palawan.

Palawan

Palawan faces the disputed South China Sea, an area that China claims almost in its entirety, and is home to the Philippine military's Western Command, which is responsible for the deployment of patrol boats, surveillance vessels and aircraft to protect the country's territorial interests.

The embassy also indicated that the treaty allies' goal is to maintain a"free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific," according to the statement obtained by AP.

In that regard, the AP recalled that the United States has reaffirmed its commitment to protect the Philippines, a key ally, from any attack. The position of U.S. authorities comes despite the fact that Washington has no territorial claims in those waters.

In addition, the U.S. has independently erected warehouses, barracks and other structures at nine Philippine military bases, allowing rotating U.S. units to house and store weaponry, in accordance with a defense agreement signed in 2014.

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