MANILA, Philippines - Her name is Tina, and she is the muse and 25th member of the Philippine Navy team guarding Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in Palawan.
Tina is a six-month-old Aspin – short for asong pinoy or local dog breed.
Home for Tina is the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) AM-700 vessel stationed on Ayungin Shoal since last week. The ship is being skippered by Lt. Jg. Sherwin Buhalan, with three other officers and 20 sailors.
The military earlier reinforced its forces in Ayungin as part of the Navy’s regular troop rotation.
“She would be making rounds of the ship, especially during night time when it is difficult for the soldiers to monitor the sea,†the sailor said.
“Tina would bark every time she would see fishing boats to alert us,†said another sailor whose hammock is located above the dog’s sleeping quarters.
On several instances, Tina showed her sea legs by withstanding the big waves while they were on maritime monitoring mission in the West Philippine Sea.
When BFAR AM-700 was blocked by Chinese coast guard vessels, Tina stood up and barked even if she was tied to the ship’s steel railing.
One of the sailors said they named the Aspin after a lass from Coron, Palawan whom their colleague met and fell in love with, but failed to win her heart.
“We named her Tina for the sake our broken-hearted colleague,†a sailor said.