The Philippines with its vast maritime territory
would need not only maritime vessels but new technology as well.
This was the comment of National Security Adviser
(NSA) Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. said when asked about the return of the Chinese
fleet in the vast expanse of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
NSA head was quoted saying “very hard” to protect
the country’s maritime authority in the area with respect to the Chinese clam
harvesting fleets in the WPS.
 |
| Satellite photo of the dredging in the Mischief reef by the Chinese (photo credit to owner) |
"Diplomatic actions could be taken, some
military solutions could be taken sa range ng options natin na pwede nating
gamitin but it's pretty much on diplomatic action," he said
With the resources the Philippines have, protecting
and enforcing our laws in the WPS is very hard, since the WPS alone has 2,000
nautical miles.
"Di pwedeng ang deployment mo diyan ay barko
sa barko or fishing boat sa fishing boat. It should be other means, satellite."
"Because of the size, it becomes a challenge
because it's simply too big for our assets to cover but there are enhancements
to that," he said.
"Sometime July or so, meron na tayong sariling
imagery satellite which was a project of the DOST that could give us images of
the area and therefore give us a constant picture of the whole domain."
He further adds.
The NSA chief said authorities will intercept
illegal fishing vessels spotted in the WPS.
"We have the capability,
we have monitoring stations sa coastlines natin," he said.
"Now if you would ask me,
kumukuha ba sila ng permiso, kalimitan hindi because kulang pa yung enforcement
natin eh. So dapat ang focus natin is to develop our surveillance and
regulatory capabilities diyan sa lugar na yan so that we could develop it into
a rich and viable source of income."
What can you say about this?
Share
us your thoughts by simply leaving on the comment section below. For more news updates,
feel free to visit our site often.
Stay
updated with today's relevant news and trends by hitting the LIKE button.
Thanks
for dropping by and reading this post.
Report from ABS-CBN News
0 Comments