US Navy to established ship maintenance facility in Palawan
The US Embassy in the Philippines announced the construction of US Navy ship maintenance facility in Palawan.
In a statement, the the embassy said the US Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command issued a public solicitation for the design and construction of the new facility at the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay.
“The facility will provide repair and maintenance capabilities for several small Philippine military watercraft and will include two multi-purpose interior rooms suitable for equipment storage or conference use,” it said.
The US embassy clarified that the boat maintenance facility is “not a military base.”
According to the US embassy, the project is approved by the Philippine government in accordance with all applicable local rules and regulations of the two countries.
“Our U.S. Philippine alliance with its roots in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty remains a cornerstone of peace and security, promoting our common vision for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific,” it said.
The location of the planned US military facility is near the West Philippine Sea where there is an ongoing tension between the Philippines and China.
Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.
The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had “no legal basis.”
China has refused to recognize the decision.
