BRP Bonifacio visits Pag-asa children while on patrol in West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines — The officers and crew of BRP Andres Bonifacio visited children on Pag-asa Island — a remote island that is part of Kalayaan, Palawan — as part of its patrol of the West Philippine Sea, the Navy said on its social media page.
According to the Navy, the visit to students at the Pag-asa Integrated School was unannounced. The sailors gave students school supplies and donuts "while establishing naval presence in the waters off Paga-asa Island, Municipality of Kalayaan."
The Philippine Coast Guard in March said its personnel stationed in Pag-asa Island monitored the presence of the Chinese vessels with an estimated distance of around 4.5 to eight nautical miles from the island, which is "clearly inside the land feature’s 12 nautical miles territorial sea."
Kalayaan, which is in the West Philippine Sea, has lately been trying to assert Philippine sovereignty over waters that China claims despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that the sweeping nine-dash-line claim has no basis in international law.
The town's Tourism Promotions and Development program has been arranging fishing expeditions for tourists.
The expedition is operated by the Kalayaan Islands Tourism Agents Cooperative (KITA Coop), whose members are residents of the Kalayaan LGU. The municipality is home to around 200 to 250, living under just one barangay.
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