The Philippines is considering the transformation of two islands, formerly part of a U.S. naval base, into a military reservation, as announced by its defense department on Thursday. This initiative aims to strengthen the country’s military presence in the waters adjacent to the South China Sea.
Grande and Chiquita islands are situated in Subic Bay, which was home to a large U.S. base until the Philippines declined to extend the lease in 1991. The U.S. military withdrew the following year, and the area has since been repurposed into a freeport zone.
The proposed conversion of these islands could enhance the security of the freeport and an international airport, while also aiding the Philippine navy in establishing a base in the region, according to the defense department.
“Grande Island…offers a strategic vantage point with an unobstructed view of crucial shipping routes in the West Philippine Sea, including Bajo de Masinloc,” the defense department noted, referring to the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea and the contentious Scarborough Shoal.
The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has prioritized the protection of the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the South China Sea, frequently clashing with China over the activities and persistent presence of Beijing’s coast guard and fishing militia in disputed areas within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Tensions have intensified as Marcos has sought to deepen ties with the United States, the Philippines’ defense treaty ally, which includes joint training exercises involving a U.S. Typhon missile system, a move that has provoked Beijing’s ire.
This announcement followed the recent arrest of a Chinese national, along with five other foreigners and two Filipinos on Grande Island, for allegedly breaching the country’s securities and cybercrime laws. Authorities suspect their involvement in espionage and kidnapping related to offshore gaming operations that were banned last year.
