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Navy needs more warships to
u Bv Rio N. Araia and Nat
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I THt Philippine Naq rreeds nrorc
warships to guard the country's 2tt0-
mile exclusive economic zone in the
West Philippine Sea agairst potential
foreign threats. Surigao del Sur Rep.
Johnny Pimentel, a member of the
'flouse national defense and securitv
"
committee, said Sunday. ,{
"The Philippine Navy has to es-i
tablish a credible presence there in
terms olcombat ships if ue arc to
' discourage foreign seaborne thrcats,
including poachers," he said amid
reports that several hurdred Chinese
vessels have been seen around Pagasa
lsland aad that Chinese fishemren
were stealing giart clams from Philip-
pine wateis.
"The realif is] the Nar'y lacks
battle-ready ships. This is why u,e are
having diliculty enforcing our sov-
ereign rights ovei oul EEZ there," he
patrolWPs-solon
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Navy... '".ffi1#19,?1",-eadenniteryasood
In- things alone you idiotcsscs," he said.
Fion At start, but sadly, they won't be enough.
donesia has at least eight frigates, among On Tuesday, he told t social media uscr
"Our, naval warfare service should atother warships," Pimentel said. to "shut up about thc clsms" bccnusc tc-
least be as formidable as Indonesia's, "The next Congress should see to itthat marks on it could compromisc Mnttila's
which has three fleets oflarger and faster the Narry gets all the new funding needed victory in a Hague-based arbittittion
ships, including submarines." to acquire more warships in the. years court that invalidated Beijing's sweeping
The University of the Philippines' In- ahead," he said. claims to the waterway.
stitute ofMaritime Affairs and Law ofthe He called "sad" the Navy's lack ofwar- President Ro&igo Duterte and Chineso
Sea earlier lamented thdt Chinese fishing ships, despite the country's vast territorial leader Xi Jinping last week agreed lo rc-
vessels around Panatag Shoal were il- 1rya1s6 and extensive coastline requiring solve the maritime row through "pclcolirl,
legally hawesting giant clams that were round-the-clock protection. diplomatic" means, Philippine Atrtbassn-
originally sown by Filipino marine biolo- Pimentel said decades of domestic in- dor to China Chito Sia. Romann sli(|.
gists for rcstocking. surgency have caused succeeding gov- On Sunday, the Palace touted Dutcflc's
Panatag, or Scarlorough Shoal, is chain emments to build up the AImy at the qx- four-day visit to China for the 2nd llclt
of mostly submeiged reefs and rocks pense ofthe Navy and the Air Force. and Road Forum for lntemational (hop-
about 198 kilometqs west of Subic Bay. Under intemational law, the Philip- eration as "highly successful."
"It is .unforhrnate that the Philippine pines eqjoys sovereign rights over the In a statement hours alter the Presidonl
Navy's top three wa$lips are least 50 iountry's EEZ for the purpose of explor- arived in his hometown in Davao, Presi-
years old. and one of thbm is out for re- ing, exploiting, conserving and manag- dential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said
pair," the Swigao del Str lawmaker said. ing natural resources, whether living and the President's participation in Beijing's
i He wa.ireferring to the BRP Gregorio nonliving, of the seabed and subsoil and forum paved the way for the signing ol'
del Pilar, BRP Ramon Alcaraz and the the supedacent waters and with regard to several business agreements that will pro-
BRP Andres Bonifacio - all decommis- other activities for the economic exploita- vide employment for Filipinos.
sioned US'Coast Guard patrol boats ac- lion ard exploration ofthe zone. "The ChiefExecutive witnessed the sign-
quired by the Philippines through Amer- "We need more warships to protect our ing of 19 business agrcements, covering a
iia's Excess Defense Adicles Program. saategic maritime interests, including wide range of areas of invesfircnts such as
:
. del Pilar, the Naly's flagship, is being rhoset our EEZ," Pimentel said. in energy, infrastuchrc tltat includes tour-
restored after it ran aground last year at On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Se$etary ism-related facilities and intemet connec-
Hasa-Hasa Shoal in the West Philippine Teodoro Loisin Jr. iontinued his word tivity, agricutture, and taining of Filipinos
Sea offPalawan. war with critics on social media who have sojouming in China" Panelo said.
Itre Navy under the Duterte admin- nlihir t"tna to u"t on Chinese poaching AccorJing to Panelo, the 19 deals were l
istration has already ordered two new in Scarborough Shoal. estimated at $12.165 billion, which will
missile-armed frigates woth some P I 8 "If this ctam issue ends up with China generate more than 2 I ,000 jobs for Filipi-
billion, including P2 billion for their GR \Nnrlc us PERMISSION and even nos. Duterte previously met with the lead-
weapons.systems and munition. help to save the clams--{rereby eroding our ers of Philippine and Chinese business
by
The first fr-igate is due for {clivery viciory in the Hague-I will tear out your conglomerates in manufacturing, energy,
March 20201 thile the second one is due g*ituL *itft pto"," I-ocsin said on Twitter, steel, and. inftastructure industries.
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