RP builds station on disputed island

RP builds station on disputed island

MANILA (AFP): The Philippine military said yesterday it plans
to repair facilities and provide electricity on one of the seven
islands it occupies in the disputed Spratly islands.

The Western Command of the Armed Forces said in paid newspaper
advertisements that it would conduct a public bidding next month
for the supply and installation of a 125-kilovolt generator on
Pag-asa island.

The command is in charge of guarding 53 islets, shoals and
reefs Manila claims in the strategic chain in the South China
Sea.

It said the contract would involve the repair of its barracks
and a road, the construction of a power house and electric posts,
the manufacture and delivery of a fiberglass boat, and repair of
the island's perimeter fence.

The announcement followed increased Philippine military
activity in the Spratlys after the discovery of four manned
structures in the Mischief Reef guarded by the Chinese Navy,
which Manila claims are naval support stations.