The Philippine Navy (PN) is preparing for the possible occupation of the Grande and Chiquita Islands once these are declared as military reservations.
“The thrust right now of the PN is to prepare for eventual occupation or preparation of the land that will be awarded through a presidential proclamation declaring Grande Island (and) Chiquita Island as military reservations,” PN spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in an interview with reporters Tuesday.
He did not give details on when talks on designating these islands as military reservations started.
These islands, he said, need to be declared as military reservations due to their proximity to Subic Bay whose “natural layout” provides a safe harbor for Navy ships using the vital waterway.
A runway also exists in the Subic Bay area that can be used by Philippine aircraft.
Trinidad, meanwhile, said the move has nothing to do with the arrest of six foreign nationals and two Filipinos found conducting illegal activities in Grande Island last March 13.
“The foreign nationals that were arrested on Grande Island were there even before the talks of having (the island declared) as a naval reservation,” Trinidad said.
Grande Island, located in Subic Bay, is a strategic vantage point with a clear view of key sea lanes in the West Philippine Sea, including Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal).
The Department of National Defense (DND) earlier said the suspects’ illegal activities could include suspected espionage and kidnapping activities related to Philippine offshore gaming operators, where some foreign nationals are occupying Grande Island under the guise of private enterprises.
The conversion of the Grande and Chiquita Islands as military reservations would help secure the operations of the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone, including the Riviera Wharf and the Subic Bay International Airport.
The DND said this is in line with the ongoing development of a naval operating base in Subic which seeks to strengthen and maintain the Philippines’ strategic presence along the western seaboard.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier announced the arrest of the suspects. In a press briefing, NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said the agency remains vigilant of other groups conducting spying activities in the country.
“We are not discounting any possibility that there may be other groups that are doing their own rounds of gathering vital pieces of information and providing it to their counterparts. This is very disturbing and getting very alarming to all of us,” he said.
Lavin added that NBI Director Jaime Santiago, who personally led the arrest, is urging the public to continue reporting and cooperating with authorities on matters affecting peace and national security.
Santiago stressed that the bureau remains steadfast in strengthening efforts to detect, prevent, and respond to espionage activities in order to safeguard national security.
The Chinese nationals were identified as He Peng a.k.a. Nan Ke, Xu Xining, Ye Tianwu a.k.a Qui Feng/Quing Feng, Ye Xiaocan, Diack Ang, and Su Anlong. Melvin Aguillon, a Filipino bodyguard, was also arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm.
They were charged for allegedly violating the Espionage Law, Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, the Commission on Election (Comelec) gun ban, as well as Falsification by Private Individuals and Use of Falsified Documents and Using Fictitious Name and Concealing True Name provided under the Revised Penal Code.
Photographs and documents of Philippine and US Naval Assets were found inside the units of the Chinese nationals. Electronic gadgets containing surveillance photos and videos were also seized together with fake documents (BIR) and identification cards.
An intelligence report revealed that Chinese nationals were closely monitored for engaging in deemed suspicious activities, involving a collection of sensitive data related to “Critical Infrastructure” or data affecting national defense within the area. With Pot Chavez