The Department of National Defense (DND) will coordinate with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the planned establishment of a new coast guard station on Balabac Island in Palawan.

DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the area on Balabac Island where they initially planned to put up a Philippine Navy (PN) station was not viable as it was too shallow and would not be able to accommodate the newly procured frigates.

"This area is more suitable for the Coast Guard, not Navy. So we will coordinate with them through our inter-agency committee led by ES [Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin] to scope a bigger area for a naval operating base. This area is just 20 hectares so it is too small. The bay is also too narrow," he said during an ocular inspection over the weekend.

The DND earlier expressed the intention to build a naval base and runway on Balabac Island, one of the nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites agreed upon by the Philippines and the United States.

Balabac Island is located in the southernmost part of Palawan. It borders the West Philippine Sea (WPS), and is only 140 nautical miles from Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, a low-tide elevation within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines that was reclaimed and turned into a heavily militarized artificial island by China.

Teodoro said the planned naval station was supposed to help deter potential surveillance activities by foreign actors in Palawan.

The DND is building more military bases as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) strategic basing that is anchored on the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC).

"Based on our strategic basing anchored on CADC, they [Philippine Navy] will have to look for another place. If not, it will not serve the purpose. Their new frigates won’t fit here no matter how big the pier will be," Teodoro said.

For now, Teodoro said the PN will occupy the area while discussions are ongoing at the inter-agency committee to determine another area where the new naval base would be built.

Meanwhile, Teodoro said he also talked to Philippine Air Force (PAF) Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura to speed up the construction of the airstrip.

"We want to expedite the construction of the airstrip because the work is very slow," he added.

Source: Manila Bulletin.