Siniguro ni Speaker Martin Romualdez sa Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na paparating na ang tulong para mapalakas ang presensya ng Pilipinas sa West Philippine Sea.
Kasunod ito ng pagbisita ng House leadership sa Pag-asa Island nitong Huwebes.
Dito personal na nakita ng mga mambabatas ang hamong kinahaharap ng mga residente ng Pag-asa Island pati na ng Kasundaluhan.
Kaya tiniyak ni Romualdez na popondohan ang pagtatayo ng kritikal na imprastraktura sa Pag-asa Island.
Partikular dito ang storm shelter para sa mga mangingisda, solar powerplant, at ice at cold storage facility.
“We also wanted to make sure that our budgeting process will now allow for the better utilization and actually for the proper funding of the ongoing projects in the area, particularly at Pag-asa Island. We wanted to make sure that we took the opportunity to be in the area and to see what we from our functions in Congress could do to assist and to support the area’s activities for instance, for the fisherfolks,” sabi ni Romualdez.
Pagbibigay-diin naman ni AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. ang kahalagahan ng presensya natin sa West Philippine Sea.
Aniya kung sino ang may presensya sa lugar ang siyang magkokontrol.
“We still have a lot of improvements to make, not just in Pagasa Island, but in the other eight features that we are occupying. The name of the game in the West Philippine Sea is effective presence. Ibig sabihin kung sino ang nandyan, sya ang may kontrol nung area na yun, that specific area. And the symbolism of Pagasa Island is that it represents our sovereignty and our sovereign rights…” sabi ni Brawner.
Sa pagbisita ng mga mambabatas ay nakita nila ang presensya ng Chinese vessels.
“We had a nice large Philippine naval ship you know casting a very very large shadow in the horizon but in the opposite side there was a we noticed a white Chinese ship and some militia ships and obviously within the Philippine territory,” pagbabahagi ng House Speaker.
Kaya naman sabi ni Romualdez na nais nilang magkaroon ng panibagong dayalogo kasama ang Chinese embassy officials kung paano magkakaroon ng protocol sa naturang lugar.
“We want to also engage also our friends here from the Chinese Embassy and perhaps we can have conversations on how we can actually have protocols within the areas of the Philippine territorial integrity,” dagdag ng opisyal. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
