MANILA, May 14 (PNA) — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang on Thursday expressed his support for the US proposal to deploy ships and aircraft at the South China Sea to ensure freedom of navigation in the vital waterway.
This is in wake of China’s assertiveness in claiming the entire territory as its own.
“Well we welcome that, it goes with our plan to develop Ulugan Bay and a naval base in Palawan,” Catapang said.
The AFP chief is also hopeful that the planned US presence will restore stability in the South China Sea.
“It is important that freedom of navigation, and then freedom of air movement in the area remain. Nobody should claim that area because it is too vast,” he pointed out.
Catapang also clarified that China is not showing aggression but wantonly reclaiming other countries’ territories as its own.
The AFP chief also stressed that this was demonstrated last Monday when he and members of the media visited Pagasa Island.
“During that flight, we were not harass by the Chinese,” Catapang recounted.
And if challenge, he said that Filipino pilots, patrolling over the disputed zone, will just reply that they are patrolling Philippine territory.
“We will say to them that we are patrolling our own area, its an area of Philippine territory,” Catapang said. (PNA)