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.