Manila plans Navy base near the Spratlys to counter China
South China Sea conflict prompts development of Philippines naval site
Once opposed to the prospect of a major naval base inside this picturesque Philippine cove, fearing it would mean bars and brothels for visiting sailors, residents of Ulugan Bay now look forward to the arrival of American and other foreign warships.
The reason is China, whose rapid creation of artificial islands in the disputed Spratly chain of the South China Sea is setting off alarm bells across the Philippines, a country with one of the weakest navies in the region.
Nowhere is that concern more palpable than around Ulugan Bay, a large sheltered expanse of pristine blue water along the western Philippine coastline that lies 160km from the Spratly archipelago.
"Before we were not so concerned about the South China Sea but now we feel the tension," said Jane Villarin, head of the village of Macarascas, one of several small townships dotted around the bay. "We are afraid China will one day come to our community because of this dispute."
Developing the naval base is the Philippine military's top priority although funding bottlenecks have caused delays, armed forces chief General Gregorio Catapang said on Monday.
The plan calls for transforming a small existing naval facility at Oyster Bay, a cove within Ulugan Bay on Palawan island, into a fully-fledged operating base within five years for Philippine naval frigates to berth.
Catapang also said this week that warships from the United States, Japan, Australia and Vietnam would be welcome to make port calls.
The US Navy could refuel and resupply at the base, he added, although the Philippine navy has said it would be hard to accommodate destroyers and aircraft carriers because of the bay's relatively shallow water.
Washington has already asked for access to Philippine military bases in eight locations to rotate troops, aircraft and ships for training as the United States shifts more forces in its pivot to Asia, Catapang said last month.
Ulugan Bay workers were this week busy cutting through Palawan's forest, building an access road to Oyster Bay, which is otherwise only accessible by boat.
The 12km long, two-lane paved road should be ready within a few months, the workers said.
When road construction began in October 2013, residents complained that bars and brothels would mushroom while fishing might be declared off-limits because of the naval activity.
But the majority of people in the Macarascas region now actively support the naval expansion plan, said Villarin.
