Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed additional surface patrol ships in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea, increasing its presence there by about 90 percent.
Lt. Col. Enrique Gil Ileto, AFP’s Public Affairs Office chief, said this was a “dramatic increase” from the baseline of 30 percent in 2022.
Ileto said this allows the monitoring of Sea Lines of Communications (SLOCs) that is complemented by the AFP’s Littoral Monitoring Stations/Detachments (LMS/LMDs) to detect and monitor foreign ships, track, and subject them to interdiction operations.
At the same time, he disclosed that a redeployment of Naval Special Operations units and the Philippine Marines was done with Marine Battalion Landing Team 9’s (MBLT-9) transfer to Palawan last month and the presence of the 4th Marine Brigade in the country’s Northern frontier is also part of the AFP’s shift to External Security Operations (ESO).
At the same time, Ileto said the employment of the AFP’s air surveillance radar systems continues.
He said the AFP has also facilitated the completion of personnel barracks in Likas, Parola, and Kota Stations in the KIG.
“These are complemented by partnering with its ally and strategic partner armed forces from our global and regional allied countries that enable leveraging of capabilities through information sharing, subject matter expert exchange, and joint and combined maritime exercises,” said Ileto. “All of these are with the help of an interagency-wholistic effort through the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).”
— Franco Jose C. Baroña
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