BRP Gabriela Silang returns to Manila after Batanes lighthouse mission —PCG

The BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) arrived back in Manila on Monday after its 15-day mission in Batanes, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

In a statement, the PCG said the Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan (TF KSK), who used the BRP Gabriela Silang, installed four navigational lanterns in Sabtang, Ivana, Mahatao, at Valanga.

PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu and Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco led the commissioning of the lighthouses on Friday.

Abu said the initiative aims to ensure the safety and security of fishermen and marines sailing in the provincial waters.

According to Abu, the PCG will establish more lighthouses in Batanes that serve as  sovereign markers.

“Bahagi kasi ng ating coastal state administration ng bansa natin that we really need to put up more light stations as sovereign markers dyan sa norte, not only in the north but all over the country,” he told reporters.

(That is a part of our country’s coastal state administration that we really need to put up more light stations as sovereign markers in the north, not only in the north but all over the country.)

“Nasa pipeline natin 'yan magtatayo pa tayo ng lighthouses diyan sa Batanes (It is in our pipeline to construct more lighthouses in Batanes),” he added.

For her part,  Cayco said the infrastructure would improve the local tourism of Batanes.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News