The Philippine government is moving to strengthen its maritime defense by upgrading and expanding naval bases in strategic locations across the country. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro announced plans to fast-track infrastructure works on Balabac Island, a joint Air Force and Navy facility at the southern tip of Palawan province. The project forms part of broader efforts to enhance security in partnership with the United States, including upgrades at a former U.S. base in Luzon.
Teodoro emphasized that Balabac is a critical location for national security. Increased military presence on the island, he said, is intended to deter surveillance activities in Palawan, where authorities remain concerned about suspected Chinese espionage. Balabac sits just 140 nautical miles from Mischief Reef, a China-controlled island within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Mischief Reef has been the focus of ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, which Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea. Although a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling affirmed the Philippines’ claim, China has rejected the decision and continued militarizing contested features in the region.
(Source: DefenseNews)
