In my last column, I wrote about China’s presence in the Philippine Rise where it carried out undersea research. What China is doing on the other side of the Philippine archipelago facing the Pacific Ocean is disconcerting. It has already militarized a wide swath of the South China Sea by building artificial islands on the shoals, reefs and rocks.
The military bases China built in the Spratlys and the Paracels have also become a concern for Vietnam and Japan which both have territorial disputes with Beijing. The Philippine government, however, appears ambivalent in its approach to China’s aggressive agenda in the region. This, despite the most recent report that China is installing surveillance facilities on Fiery Cross, known to us as Kagitingan Reef.
Amid all the military buildup in the South China Sea, the Philippines, without engaging China in a word war, has protested Beijing’s renaming 142 seabed features of Philippine (nee Benham) Rise. Manila is also buying frigates and attack helicopters for self-defense purposes. It is also comforting to note that US warships have increased their ports of calls in the Philippines. The US has made clear to China that it does not recognize its claim of air and water space over the South China Sea. So far, China has not dared accost US warplanes flying over air space and warships sailing near its artificial islands.
Reader Mel Amado wrote in to say that at the rate China is encroaching on our waters, it won’t be long before Beijing declares the Philippines as its province. Mel, the resident wit of the Wednesday Club at the Pavilion Hotel on UN Avenue, might have a point. China has been long claiming Taiwan as a renegade province. But Beijing has not dared carry out its threat to invade and retake the former Formosa. Nearer and just a few miles across the Taiwan Straits, the now-Republic of China is equipped with modern jet fighters supplied by treaty ally United States.
Third telco player
It is welcome news that there will be a third major telecommunication player. The Department of Information and Communications Technology announced that the bid submission for a new telco carrier will be set in May this year.
The entry of the third telco player is expected to give competition to the duopoly of Smart and Globe telecommunications. Subscribers to Globe and Smart have been complaining of the slow delivery of text messaging and choppy reception of voice calls. Filipinos who are text addicts also decry the high cost of text and calls imposed by Smart and Globe.
Three firms—Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp., NOW Corp. and Converge ICT Solutions Inc.—are bidding for the third slot of telco carrier. Under the guidelines of the DICT, the bidder with the highest investment and given frequencies will be chosen to compete with Globe and Smart. DICT said the winning bidder must be ready to spend $4 billion for the first five years.
PAL buying bigger Airbuses
In another positive development, national flag carrier Philippine Airlines announced it is purchasing several bigger Airbuses to add to its fleet. PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said the company will buy the large Airbus 350-1000 for the airline’s long-range flights like a planned non-stop Manila-New York –Manila route.
PAL has already placed orders with the French firm for six A 359-900s with four expected to be delivered within the year to add to the airline’s fleet of 88 to replace some of its older Boeing planes, including the 777 Dreamliner being used in the Asia-US route.
PAL has also settled its arrears with the government on its Terminal 2 facilities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. It is now Cebu Pacific which is being threatened by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that it would lose its franchise to operate.