Lorenzana refutes Carpio’s claims on Sandy Cay

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is still in control of Sandy Cay, contrary to claims by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that it has been taken over by the Chinese, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said yesterday.

“No it’s not true. It’s still there, nobody is occupying it. It’s within sight of our Pag-Asa Island. They are not occupied by anybody,” Lorenzana told reporters at the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) headquarters in South Harbor.

The military sees Sandy Cay as a buffer for Pag-Asa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG).

The defense chief and Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade led the handover of P450 million worth of coast guard equipment, land vehicles and boats.

Carpio earlier said the number of land features in the West Philippine Sea illegally occupied by the Chinese has increased to eight with their seizure of Sandy Cay, which used to be a picnic area for residents of the nearby Pag-Asa Island. Pag-Asa Island is the seat of the Kalayaan town, a fifth class municipality of Palawan province.

Civilian activities at Sandy Cay stopped last year upon the arrival of numerous Chinese militia vessels.

Pag-Asa Island is just 14 nautical miles from Zamora (Subi) Reef, one of the three land features in the area reclaimed and fortified by China.

“During peace time the coast guard is under the Department of Transportation but in the event of war, it reverts back to the control of the Navy, but they can also patrol the West Philippine Sea,” Lorenzana said.

On proposals to transform Pag-Asia Island into a tourist destination, Lorenzana said the island should have adequate facilities to accommodate a surge in visitors.

“First we have to develop our airport there because we just want to follow what the Chinese have been doing in Subi Reef. They have been building facilities there. I think we have the right also to up our facilities so that Filipinos can go there and visit Pag-Asa because it belongs to us,” Lorenzana said.

He bared receiving offers from some companies to set up a desalination plant and hybrid solar power and generators in the island town. 

He admitted it will take time before Pag-Asa Island can become a full-fledged tourist town.

At Malacañang, presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo downplayed Vietnam’s tough way of dealing with Chinese incursions, saying it is “risking armed hostility” with the Asian giant.

He was reacting to reports of a standoff between Hanoi and Beijing over the presence of a Chinese ship in waters Vietnam considers within its territory.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, two Chinese and four Vietnamese coast guard ships have been involved in a standoff over a South China Sea reef since last week.

Vietnam’s foreign affairs ministry said a Chinese survey ship and its escorts conducted activities in the southern area of the East Sea, an action that it said violated Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. Vietnam said Chinese ships should stop its “unlawful activities” and leave Vietnamese waters.

“It means also that Vietnam is risking an armed hostility between the two countries and risking the lives of their people,” Panelo told Palace reporters yesterday.

Panelo reiterated that conducting diplomatic negotiations is the “best method” for resolving disputes.   – With Alexis Romero