Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his visiting Chinese counterpart agreed on Friday to resolve their differences amicably on issues affecting the disputed South China Sea.
Lorenzana met with General Wei Fenghe in Camp Aguinaldo where both discussed several bilateral issues.
“Today marks the most recent visit of China’s Minister of National Defense to the Philippines following similar visits in 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2017,” Lorenzana said.
The defense department has not provided specific details on the meeting between Lorenzana and Wei particularly on how to ease tension in the West Philippine Sea following Beijing’s aggressive positioning, presence and military transformation of disputed areas in the South China Sea.
But in a statement, the defense institution said Lorenzana and Wei agreed that peace and stability in the SCS should be maintained.
The visit of Chinese defense minister came four months after the Department of Foreign Affairs lodged diplomatic protest against China for illegal seizures of “payaw” or fish-aggregating devices of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc last May.
The statement, short on details, said during the meeting Lorenzana and Wei tackled the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the SCS.
Both defense leaders also exchanged best practices in responding to the COVIDA-19 pandemic.
Lorenzana and Wei also agreed to continue working on revisiting the 2004 Philippines-China Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation that would be more responsive to current situations.
The bilateral meeting between Lorenzana and Wei was highlighted by the signing of the Implementing Guidelines for the implementation of a 130M-renminbi grant that China is giving to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the form of equipment, especially for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
Both have expressed the desire to continue this form of dialogue in the future.
The DND, in its statement, also said Lorenzana and Wei discussed how misunderstanding could be avoided when it came to territorial issues, noting that differences must be resolved “amicably.”
During the meeting, the officials also signed the implementing guidelines for the implementation of a 130 million Renminbi grant that China is giving to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the form of equipment, especially for human and disaster response.
Meanwhile, the removal of the Philippine Navy’s Naval Base Cavite Complex in Sangley Point for the construction of the Sangley Point International Airport could have massive security and logistical implications for the PN and the country as a whole.
PN chief Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo made this comment when asked on the implications should SPIA’s construction push through and their presence in Sangley Point would be removed.
“The removal of the Navy from Sangley will mean the following: removal of a sentinel guarding the entrance to Manila, removal of a logistics and operations hub for PN ships, displacement of PN families, uniformed personnel, PN office buildings, elementary and high school, weather station, small arms ammunition depot, fuel depot, training centers,” Bacordo said in a message to the Philippine News Agency Friday.
SPIA is a Cavite-initiated joint venture between the China Communications Construction Corporation and MacroAsia Corp and is planned to ease congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
“It is okay for the Navy to co-exist with SPIA. While SPIA will contribute to the economic development and the easing of traffic in Metro Manila, the Navy’s presence in Sangley has national security implications. Economic development and national security should go hand-in-hand,” Bacordo added.
In a radio interview on Thursday, Bacordo expressed hope that the Navy would remain at Sangley Point even if the SPIA’s construction pushed through.
Based on engineering drawings, Bacordo said SPIA would occupy the whole of Sangley plus about 75 percent of Cañacao Bay once reclaimed.
“If we will base it on drawings there will be no location for the transfer of PN’s Sangley (Point) facilities,” he added.
Bacordo said the PN would discuss these things with the Cavite local government unit to come out with a win-win solution.
The NBC Complex is composed of Naval Base Heracleo Alano and Naval Station Pascual Ledesma at Sangley Point and Fort San Felipe, respectively.
It is designed to address challenges and security threats at-sea against the seat of the central government in Manila in view of its proximity to the seat of power.
NBC’s location makes it a staging point for security forces protecting Manila Bay, and as an alternative Command Center once pre-designated command-and-control facilities in Manila are damaged and unserviceable.
Currently, it serves as the PN’s main repair and maintenance facility for ships and aircraft, as a logistics hub, as a loading and off-loading point for logistics, troops, and equipment to and from various parts of the archipelago.
It is also a training site for ship and aircraft crew and hosts the biggest on-base housing for PN personnel and their families.
Sangley Point is a 143-hectare Armed Forces of the Philippines-administered property where the PN and Philippine Air Force occupy 66 hectares on the east side and 77 hectares on the west side, respectively.
The PN currently depends on its facilities at NBC in order to sustain its mission all over the archipelago.
With these characteristics and being the nearest existing major naval base within the center of the maritime domain, NBC has already been identified as one of the PN’s main naval bases.