PBBM bullish on expanded, more modern seaport, airport for SBMA in 2028

Before President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. reaches the maximum tenure of his term in 2028, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) expects a significant upgrade in its seaport and airport facilities with an ultimate goal of modernizing infrastructure, boosting economic activity and solidifying Subic Bay’s position as a major gateway for trade and tourism. 

This is in line with the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 of the Marcos administration. The Plan states that existing airports will be improved and new ones will be strategically developed to address future demand. 

The BBM infrastructure program for 2023 to 2028 presently includes 198 high impact infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) with an overall investment cost of P8.8 trillion. 

“This premier Freeport is set to boost the country’s economic corridor by developing both its seaport and airport,” said SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño. 

The airport and seaport expansion and modernization projects in Subic Freeport will cost an estimated Php28.18 billion. 

These projects are expected to boost port capacity, increase competitiveness, and generate more revenue. Aliño said that these infrastructure projects support the Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) Development initiative of Pres. Marcos’ administration, to be completed by 2028. 

Aliño also disclosed that the first project, a Multipurpose Port Terminal (MPT) at the Lower Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), will include a 570-meter wharf, with a depth of 12.9 meters. It will have a back-up area of 17.2 hectares for warehouses and open storage areas. 

“This project will provide an additional capacity of 2.5 million metric tons bulk cargoes. As one of the identified projects under Public Investment Program of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the project will spur economic growth through the additional berthing facility,” he said. 

The second MPT will be at the Redondo Peninsula, which hosted the former Hanjin shipbuilding facility. It will have a 600-meter wharf, with a depth of 14 meters, and a back-up area of 30 hectares for warehouses, open storage, offices and support facilities. 

The project will increase the port capacity with additional 3 million metric tons cargoes. This is one of the identified projects under Public Investment Program of the NEDA, with a project cost of P11-billion. 

“The high percentage of domestic and international commerce is by sea, therefore, the efficiency of maritime transportation has become increasingly essential to national competitiveness,” Aliño cited. 

The SBMA also plans to construct a Cruise Passenger Terminal area with a project cost of P1.2 billion for phase 1, and P8.96 billion for Phase 2. The facility will have a double berth 380 meter pier with a depth of 12 meters, along with the reclamation of 20 hectares for Phase 2. 

“International and local cruise operations will greatly benefit the local and national economies, with increased employment opportunities, revenue from port fees and dues, and increased tourism spending. This is vital to the National Cruise Tourism Program of the Marcos Jr. administration,” the official shared. 

Also in the pipeline is the proposed improvement of existing buildings and the construction of new facilities inside the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) with a project cost of P7.02-billion. 

To modernize ports and allied industries and to decongest passenger traffic in Metro Manila, the Marcos administration will also undertake the improvement of the SBIA to be able to accommodate 6 million passengers annually. 

 

A new hotel and parking facility within the airport complex that will promote the use of the SBIA and further boost the tourism sector in the Subic Bay Freeport is also in the offing. 

“The project is currently under study and will cost around P4.3 billion,” Aliño said. “Locators, port users and prospective investors will also benefit from upgraded and modernized airport facilities, with increased SBIA efficiency, capacity and revenue generation. With these improvements, the SBMA will have additional revenue generating facilities with the rise of a world-class airport hotel and multilevel carpark,” he added. 

“Now for the Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA) to achieve its maximum potential, we are planning to expand the SBIA by upgrading and modernizing its facilities. Once in place, we are confident to increase both the handling and revenue generating capacity of the airport,” the chairman said. 

The feasibility study on the proposed SBIA Expansion Project will include the extension of the runway from 2,745 meters to 3,300 meters in length, expanded aprons, relocated CAAP-ATC tower, and a new passenger terminal building. 

The projects are expected to improve and provide a more efficient client and passenger accommodation. The improved and expanded airport is expected to generate a conservative revenue of P12.5 billion annually. 

“This should significantly align to the objectives of the Luzon Economic Corridor,” Aliño said. 

The Subic Bay Freeport has some 1,900 businesses with more than 162 thousand workers and residents in three housing areas. 

SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator (SDA) for Port Operations Ronnie Yambao said Subic Bay Freeport has three important pillars in enhancing its capacity and operational efficiency: first is automation to make cargo movement seamless and transactions faster and more efficient; second is investment in infrastructure like port rehabilitation, the Vessel Traffic Management System or VTMS, and the acquisition of equipment; and third is by expanding the SBMA’s network thru trade missions and creating partnerships with different ports to increase trade and commerce. 

 

"Subic Bay Freeport is the only Freeport in the Philippines that has a complete logistics infrastructure in one location that is managed by the SBMA. It has an airport, and a seaport with a modern container terminal, and piers that can accommodate different types of cargo, to be connected to the Luzon Economic Corridor by a railway in the near future,” he said. 

Subic Bay is also a tourist and cruise ship destination. Currently, the SBMA is developing a facility to be used as a home port for cruise ships. A home port is a port where a cruise ship will take on or change over the majority of its passengers, while taking on stocks, fuel and supplies. 

The Marcos administration, under its PDP, also plans to connect cargo and freight rail infrastructure to strategic infrastructure such as ports. Railway development for cargo and freight will be prioritized, particularly for long-distance deliveries. 

Meanwhile, truck routes will be established to service medium- and short-distance deliveries. Dry ports and other inland cargo terminals will be connected by freight rail to ease the movement of goods to or from the ports. (Radyo Pilipinas)

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PN’s first missile-capable warship arrives in Subic

The Philippine Navy greatly boosted its current fleet with the low-key arrival of its first missile capable frigate, to be named BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), in Subic, Zambales, on Saturday.

From a five-day maiden voyage in Ulsan, South Korea, the frigate was accorded the traditional passing honors with BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS17) and three multipurpose assault craft (MPACs).

The event was documented during a fly-by of two anti-submarine helicopters, the Agusta Westland (AW) 159, and AW109. Prior to this, a meeting procedure was held between the frigate and BRP Andres Bonifacio with AW109 in the vicinity of Sta. Cruz, Zambales, before it was finally escorted to its designated anchorage area.

While at anchor, the sailing crew will undergo two-week quarantine in adherence to strict health protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID19). The Technical Inspection and Acceptance of the frigate will commence after the quarantine period.

Breakthrough in Navy’s transformation 

The arrival of the country’s first missile-capable frigate is a “testament” to the government’s resolve to modernize the military as well as a “breakthrough” in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey, Malacañang said.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque affirmed that the government remains committed in building a strong and credible maritime force to protect the country’s seas from threats.

The 2,600-ton ship, named after the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, is the latest addition in the Philippine Navy’s fleet that can fire guided missiles and torpedoes.

“We are pleased to announce the historic arrival to the Philippines of BRP Jose Rizal, our country’s first ever guided-missile frigate. The arrival of the country’s most advanced warship, delivered during this administration, is a testament to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s commitment to modernize our armed forces,” Roque said.

“This forms part of the national leadership’s initiative to enhance the country’s defense capabilities to secure our seas against current threats,” he added.

Roque said they consider the arival of the new ship “a breakthrough in the Philippine Navy’s transformation journey in our goal of building a strong and credible maritime force.”

BRP Jose Rizal 

The frigate will tentatively be commissioned into service on June 19, Rizal’s birthday. The 351 by 46-feet warship weighs 2,600 tons.

It is capable of “fighting the four dimensions of warfare” namely anti-air warfare (AAW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare (EW) operations, and is equipped with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, torpedoes, and launchers.

It will also be equipped with a Hanwha Systems’ Naval Shield combat management system (CMS), regarded as the “brain” of military warship, which integrates all shipboard sensors and weapons.

This means that the ships will be able to detect and track air, surface and sub-surface targets. The same type of CMS was used by the Korean, Malaysian and Indonesian navies.

The frigate is the lead ship of its class and was built together with its sister ship, BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), which is set to be delivered in September this year The two missile frigates are part of an ₱18-billion contract between the Philippines and South Korea through shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in October 2016.

Each frigate costs ₱8 billion, with some ₱2 billion allotted for their systems and munition. (Martin Sadongdong and Genalyn Kabiling, Manila Bulletin)  

READ MORE --> https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/24/pns-first-missile-capable-warship-arrives-at-subic/

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Alvarez, Belmonte back Subic port upgrade

MANILA – Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. supported yesterday the proposal of their colleagues for the modernization of the Subic port to ease vehicular congestion in Metro Manila.

Alvarez said the proposal is a “good idea” that will not only benefit Metro Manila in terms of fewer cargo trucks crisscrossing it but will spur economic growth in the central and northern parts of Luzon as well.

Gantry cranes at the New Container Terminal 1 of the Port of Subic

He  said modernizing the Subic port and maximizing its use would definitely ease traffic congestion in the National Capital Region, which causes productivity losses of at least P2.4 million a day based on a recent study.

He noted that the Subic port, which has an annual capacity of 600,000 containers, received only 123,000 containers last year.

Alvarez’s predecessor Belmonte also supported his colleague’s proposal, describing it as a “great idea.”

Another Quezon City congressman, Alfred Vargas, said the suggestion, if adopted, would result in more economic activities in Subic and neighboring areas.

“This means more jobs and more opportunities. These can hopefully translate to economic and social development in that part of the country,” he said.

“This plan, coupled with increased infrastructure spending particularly on interconnecting roads, alternative highways like C6 and bridges across the island of Luzon, will definitely solve a lot of urban management, environmental and economic issues,” Vargas said.

He noted that most imported cargoes enter the country though the port in Manila, where the flow of cargo trucks has to be carefully managed to lessen traffic jams.

Several congressmen, including Rodolfo Albano lll of Isabela and Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, suggested over the weekend the full use of Subic port where they said importers from the northern part of Metro Manila, and central and northern Luzon could unload their cargoes.

This will greatly reduce the number of cargo trucks entering the National Capital Region to pick up or deliver imported goods, they said.

They said the Manila port and its environs are among the highly congested areas in Metro Manila.

For his part, deputy speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu said importers based in areas south of Metro Manila should use the Batangas City port.

He said a large part of imported cargoes, equipment and raw materials that arrive at the Manila port is destined for manufacturing plants in the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) region.

These need not be unloaded at the Manila port and transported to their ultimate destinations through the National Capital Region, he said.

He stressed that the cargoes could be unloaded in Batangas City, which is nearer to their destinations than if these would be transported from Manila.

According to a recent Japan International Cooperation Agency study, the country loses billions in fuel cost and lost opportunities due to traffic congestion. (Jess Diaz, The Philippine Star)

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/09/15/1623989/alvarez-belmonte-back-subic-airport-upgrade

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Lawmakers push Subic modernization

LAWMAKERS are urging the Duterte administration to prioritize the modernization project of the Subic Container Port to decongest Metro Manila and ease the traffic jams in the capital which have caused productivity losses of at least P2.4 million a day.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said Saturday goods and commodities intended for Central and Northern Luzon no longer need to pass through Metro Manila if Subic’s operations are optimized.

“It is indeed a great idea. It is about time we discussed the Subic Port modernization project,” Albano said.

Albano’s statement followed a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency which showed that Subic, given its strategic assets, is equipped to acquire a higher share of the country’s growing container cargo volume.

Subic’s location will also ensure a shorter point of entry for cargoes arriving from or going to Singapore.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone also said prioritizing the Subic port modernization project in the government’s menu of solutions to the traffic woes in Metro Manila will also spur economic growth across Central and North Luzon.

“I fully support such proposal. It will greatly help decongest Manila,” he said.

“Anything that will lessen the movement of people and vehicles in Metro Manila is a welcome development,” Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting himself added.

The Subic Container Port is a significant component of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD) strategy, which includes the construction of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex), and the Clark International Airport to form a global logistics hub and international gateway for Central Luzon.

However, the port, which can easily absorb northbound cargoes, has remained underutilized.

The Jica study showed there is a capacity shortage of 14 million 20-foot equivalent units or TEUs (the capacity unit of container ships) for the Pacific Region, with Singapore already reaching its limit and Hong Kong remaining severely silted.

Subic Container Port has a capacity of 600,000 TEUs, but by 2012, the volume remained at less than 40,000 TEUs.

Albano stressed that a fully modernized port in Subic means that there is a sufficient volume at Subic Port that is worth marketing to vessel lines.

There is also cost advantage ranging from $100 to $200 per TEU for shippers from Pampanga and Zambales to ship through Subic rather than from the traffic congested Manila ports, he said.

A 2014 Jica study has warned that productivity losses could reach P6 billion a day in 2030 if the traffic mess is not solved.

Lawmakers have cited this as basis for proposals to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the traffic problem in Metro Manila. (Maricel Cruz, Manila Standard)

PHOTO:
Overview of Subic Bay's port facilities- a legacy of the former US Naval Base, with the New Container Terminals 1&2 developed recently by the SBMA through JICA.

http://thestandard.com.ph/news/-main-stories/top-stories/215819/lawmakers-push-subic-modernization.html

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Phl defense modernization: 1st batch of APCs from US arrives in Subic Bay

77 units of M113A2 Armed Personnel Carriers (APC) arrived in Subic Bay yesterday (Wednesday) evening. This was the first shipment of 114 such vehicles to arrive.

The second shipment of 37 units is scheduled to arrive on 14 Dec, and the remainder will be delivered later this month.

The APCs will be transferred from the U.S. government to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) via the Excess Defense Article (EDA) Program.

The EDA Program grants excess U.S. military equipment from the U.S., without cost, to qualified allied countries.

The transfer is a result of a formal request made by the AFP to assist in their defense modernization efforts.

The M113 was developed to provide a survivable and reliable light tracked vehicle that allows for troops to be brought forward under armor for dismounted operations.

A number of the vehicles are scheduled to participate in the annual AFP Day Parade, Dec. 21.

The AFP is scheduled to receive the remaining vehicles later this month.

PHOTO:
Philippine Defense and Armed Forces officials say the newly procured M113A2 armored vehicles with remote controlled weapons systems will be used mostly in Mindanao. (CNNPH)

http://manila.usembassy.gov/press-photo-releases-2015/usg-transfers-armored-personnel-carriers-afp.html

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Philippines gets fighter jets from Korea

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines yesterday took delivery of two Korean-made fighter jets – the country’s first supersonic combat aircraft in a decade – as it strengthens its underfunded military amid an escalating territorial feud with China.

Amid applause from Philippine defense officials, the FA-50 jets touched down at Clark Freeport, a former US Air Force base in Pampanga, where fire trucks sprayed water as a traditional welcome salute for the still-unarmed aircraft. Bad weather delayed the delivery of the jet last Friday.

The Philippines bought 12 FA-50s, which are primarily trainer jets that the military converted to also serve as multi-role combat aircraft, from Korea Aerospace Industries at a cost of P18.9 billion ($402 million). The other jets would be delivered in batches until 2017.

Weapons that include bombs and rockets for the FA-50s will be purchased later.

“We’re glad we’re finally back to the supersonic age,“ Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said.

The Philippine military decommissioned its last fleet of supersonic combat aircraft, the F-5, in 2005.

Defense public affairs chief Arsenio Andolog said the jets would be stationed at the Subic freeport facing the West Philippine Sea where China has ramped up its presence by deploying more vessels and building artificial islands.

A military modernization program that included plans for the purchase of at least a squadron of fighter jets and naval frigates didn’t happen for several years largely because of a lack of funds.

Over the years, the military has deteriorated to become one of Asia’s weakest.

Under President Aquino, however, territorial spats with China over islands in the South China Sea escalated and resulted in the Chinese seizure of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in 2012, prompting the military to scramble to acquire new navy ships and air force planes with the help of its long-time defense treaty ally, the United States.

Lt. Col. Rolando Condrad Peña III, one of three Filipino air force pilots who received training in South Korea to fly the FA-50s, said that the jets could carry enough munitions payload and could be used in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

“Now that we have a supersonic aircraft our reaction time will be faster,” Pena told reporters.

“The arrival of the aircraft is very significant because it adds up to the capability,” Peña said.

“We have to contend with the subsonic aircraft, now that we have a supersonic aircraft our reaction time will be faster and we are more capable with this type of aircraft,” he added. (Ding Cervantes and Cecille Suerte Felipe, Philippine Star)

PHOTO:

SUPERSONIC AGE: Two Philippine Air Force FA-50PH fighter jets taxi on the runway upon landing at Clark Air Base in Pampanga yesterday. The first two of the 12 brand new fighter jets from South Korea arrived as part of the country’s modernization program. Inset shows Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Armed Forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri during the welcome ceremony. (Kriz John Rosales)

Read More: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/11/29/1527087/philippines-gets-fighter-jets-korea

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AFP to reopen Subic as Navy, PAF base DND: Irreversible crisis has reached tipping point

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Air Force and Navy will go ahead with a plan to open camps in Subic Bay Freeport facing the disputed South China Sea and West Philippine Sea even if a proposed American military presence doesn’t happen, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said.

Gazmin unveiled plans two years ago to open air force and navy camps at the Freeport so fighter jets and frigates can respond faster to any contingency in the disputed waters where the Philippines has been facing an assertive China, which claims most of the area.

The Philippines signed an expanded defense cooperation agreement with the US last year to allow allied American forces to temporarily station at camps including Subic, but the pact became uncertain after left-wing groups questioned its constitutionality at the Supreme Court.

While a US military presence in the camps would help, Gazmin said the government would proceed to construct the bases soon even if the court eventually decides against access for US troops.

The Philippines has scrambled to modernize its military, one of Asia’s weakest. It has bought 12 new South Korean fighter jets with the first two to be delivered later this year and stationed at Subic, Gazmin said.

Subic Bay, about 80 kilometers northwest of Manila, used to host Washington’s largest naval base outside the American mainland until it was closed down in 1992, ending nearly a century of US military presence.

Three years after, China seized a strategic reef also claimed by Manila, prompting Philippine senators to ratify the pact that allowed American forces to return for annual combat drills.

Roberto Garcia, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman, said an airport and seaport will have a dual military-civilian use.

Businesses, including hotels and restaurants, would likely back the return of military personnel, he said.

American personnel from the USNS Mercy, a huge hospital ship docked in Subic for an annual humanitarian mission, swarmed shopping malls and restaurants. “There was a guy who brought two Christmas lanterns to his ship,” Garcia said.

Japan joins drill

Also in Subic Bay, Japan has joined US-led maritime humanitarian exercises the first time, as concerns over China’s growing assertiveness grow.

A Japanese navy replenishment ship was in Subic Bay, a former US naval base, to refuel a US Navy floating hospital en route to Vietnam for the seven-nation humanitarian mission.

It was the first time a Japanese navy ship has taken part in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief drills although a flotilla of Japanese training vessels, including a submarine, makes annual port calls in Manila.

Rear Admiral Charles Williams, commander of US Seventh Fleet’s Task Force 73, said humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises were becoming a regular component of military exercises in the Philippines.

“You are seeing in exercises ... a shift from strictly bilateral engagement to multilateral, which is why you see the Japanese here today,” Williams told journalists aboard USNS Mercy, one of two US hospital ships.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims. Japan and China also have conflicting claims in the East China Sea.

Williams said the presence of Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, head of Japan’s Self-Defence Forces, “speaks volumes about their commitment to the region and their commitment to being part of a multilateral engagement.”

Kawano met Wednesday with Armed Forces chief General Hernando Iriberri, and Gazmin at Camp Aguinaldo, where he expressed interest in holding joint amphibious landing exercises and operations with Philippine marines.

In a meeting with Gazmin, Kawano also expressed interest in sharing information in the South China Sea and capacity building, particularly in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Williams said humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations were “a great avenue towards increasing maritime stability and security in this region,” part of Washington’s rebalance to Asia policy.

While welcoming Japan’s military plans, Gazmin stressed a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is needed before any joint military undertaking can be allowed on Philippine soil.

“The defense secretary has welcomed Admiral Kawano’s interests in more activities with the Philippines, emphasizing that with regard to conducting such activities, a VFA with Japan would be needed,” DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said.

In the absence of the VFA, Japan and the Philippines would make do with a Memorandum on Defense Cooperation and Exchanges.

“Aside from defense equipment cooperation, Admiral Kawano also stressed the importance of capacity building cooperation with the Philippines, particularly on matters concerning Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response,” Galvez said.

Tipping point

China is taking the region to the “tipping point” of an “irreversible crisis” with its plan to build what it calls search and rescue facilities on its newly built artificial islands in the West Philippine Sea, Galvez also said yesterday.

“Maybe we should ask: ‘For whom are those search and rescue facilities for?’ Is it for our ships and installations that they are threatening to destroy?” Galvez said in a text message.

“It must be stopped otherwise it will be the tipping point that will plunge the entire region including the peace-loving Chinese communities into a deeper and irreversible crisis,” he said.

Galvez said such facilities are actually elements of China’s “island building militarization that needs to stop and be dismantled.”

“Regardless of what supposedly ‘good’ details the Chinese leadership informs the peace-focused and rules-based international community, they illegally and blatantly continue with their aggression,” he added.

“They are simply trying to cover their tracks. This is the worst stage of all, this is the militarization stage,” the defense official said.

To strengthen its claim in the South China Sea, China built artificial islands on seven reefs also being claimed by the Philippines.

The construction projects are on Panganiban (Mischief), Zamora (Subi), Kagitingan (Fiery Cross), Kennan (Chigua), Mabini (Johnson South), Burgos (Gaven) and Calderon (Cuarteron) Reefs.

The international community – including the United States and the European Union – has expressed alarm over China’s reclamation activities. Beijing is unperturbed.

Philippine officials said China’s reclamation is a violation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which bars claimant states from engaging in activities than can complicate the situation.

On Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua announced that China is planning to build facilities on reclaimed reefs to support freedom of navigation, search and rescue efforts and scientific research. (Alexis Romero, Jaime Laude, AP, The Philippine Star)

PHOTO:
Cmdre. Primitivo Gopo is the new chief of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao. (Phil Star file photo)

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/08/15/1488227/afp-reopen-subic-navy-paf-base-dnd-irreversible-crisis-has-reached

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PHL to station warplanes, frigates at Subic, facing disputed South China Sea

The Philippines will station new fighter jets and two frigates at the former U.S. naval facility in Subic Bay from early next year, officials said, the first time the massive installation has functioned as a military base in 23 years.

Using Subic Bay would allow the Philippine air force and navy to respond more effectively to Chinese moves in the disputed South China Sea, security experts said. Subic Bay's deep-water harbor lies on the western side of the main Philippine island of Luzon, opposite the South China Sea.

"The value of Subic as a military base was proven by the Americans. Chinese defense planners know that," said Rommel Banlaoi, a Philippine security expert.

Once one of the biggest U.S. naval facilities in the world, Subic Bay was shut in 1992 after the Philippine Senate terminated a bases agreement with Washington at the end of the Cold War.

Manila converted the facility, which was never home to the Philippine military, into an economic zone.

Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino told Reuters the Philippine military signed an agreement in May with the zone's operator, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, to use parts of the installation under a renewable 15-year lease.

U.S. warships have called regularly at Subic Bay since 2000, but only to dock during exercises with the Philippine military or to use its commercial facilities for repairs and resupply.

Officials said once Subic Bay was a military base again, the U.S. Navy could have much greater access to it under a year-old agreement that gives U.S. troops broad use of local military facilities, although that deal is on ice after it was challenged in the Philippine Supreme Court.

Using Subic would be the latest Philippine military move to combat China's maritime ambitions.

Besides beefing up security cooperation with the United States, Japan and Vietnam, the military plans to spend $20 billion over the next 13 years to modernize its armed forces, among the weakest in Southeast Asia.

China, which claims nearly all of the South China Sea, said it was aware of reports of the arms buildup.

"We hope that the Philippines does more to benefit regional peace and stability," the defence ministry said in a statement faxed to Reuters.

AIR WING RELOCATING

Two FA-50 light attack fighters made by Korea Aerospace Industries, the first among a dozen ordered last year, would be based at the former Cubi Naval Station in Subic Bay from early 2016, two Philippine generals told Reuters. The two planes arrive in December.

The full squadron of FA-50s would be based at Subic, as well as the 5th Fighter Wing, which would relocate from a rundown base in northern Luzon, said the generals, who declined to be identified.

Two naval frigates would be stationed at Subic Bay's Alava Port.

The generals cited proximity to the South China Sea and the ease in making the base operational as reasons for the move.

"There are existing facilities in Subic Bay. We need only to refurbish them," one officer said.

Since Subic Bay hasn't functioned as a military base for more than two decades, it was not among eight locations the Philippine armed forces has said the U.S. military could use under the stalled 2014 defence deal.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement would allow the U.S. military to deploy at Philippine bases for longer periods than under existing accords as well as build barracks and facilities for logistics purposes.

The agreement has been frozen since left-wing politicians challenged its constitutionality last year. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the coming months.

"(Subic) could be one of the locations ... under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement," Batino said.

The Pentagon has said there were informal talks about Philippine base locations but that no plans would be implemented until the Supreme Court issues a ruling.

STRATEGIC SHOAL

Security experts noted that Subic Bay is only 145 nautical miles (270 km) from Scarborough Shoal, which China seized from Manila in 2012 after a three-month standoff with the Philippine navy.

The disputed Spratly islands, where China is building seven man-made islands, some with military facilities, lie further to the southwest of the shoal.

China might one day also turn Scarborough Shoal into an artificial island, which could make it harder for the Philippines to protect its 200-nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone off Luzon, said Patrick Cronin, a regional expert at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

"New Korean-built light fighter aircraft could reach Scarborough Shoal in just minutes, and maritime patrol aircraft or drones could eventually provide persistent coverage of Chinese movements in the area," Cronin said.

"A return to Subic Bay, this time led by the Philippine air force, would seem to be a prudent defensive response." (Manuel Mogato, Reuters)

PHOTO:
The guided missile cruiser ship USS Shiloh (CG-67) recently docked at the Alava pier of Subic Bay Freeport zone. The US ship is equipped with guided missiles and rapid-fire cannons and also carries two multi-purpose helicopters for anti-submarine warfare. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/522950/news/nation/phl-to-station-warplanes-frigates-at-subic-facing-disputed-south-china-sea

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