P166.5-M naval base to rise in Batanes

 

Construction of a P166.5 million naval detachment in Mahatao, Batanes formally started Thursday with officials led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin attending the groundbreaking ceremony.

 

 

The detachment will include a naval logistics facility, wharf and beaching areas, small craft facility, and communications and electronics facilities, among others, a defense department statement said.

 

“We envision a naval base that shall have accessible naval installations which could provide logistics, training and others support services in the conduct of prompt and sustained fleet and marine operation,” Gazmin said in his speech.

 

Aside from the Philippine Navy, the detachment will also be utilized by the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

 

“This place is chosen as the most strategic area as testified by historical facts during World War II. It has also naturally protected and safer harbor spaces for our naval vessels, considering that the province of Batanes has been the frequent route of storms and typhoons, especially during the rainy season,” added Secretary Gazmin.

 

The construction of the facility came after the navy deployed more troops in Batanes Island  and peripheral waters  in a move to  ward  off foreign poachers in the rich fishing ground.

 

It was also in Batanes where Philippine law enforcement agencies such as the coast guard and the BFAR had a tense standoff with the Taiwanese coast guard as well as fishing vessels that reportedly encroached the country's territorial waters.

 

The most serious incident resulted  in  the death of a Taiwanese fisherman that strained relations between Manila and Taipei. — APG, GMA News