Two Chinese frigates and a supply vessel are scheduled to dock in Manila today, Thursday, in what is considered as the first official port visit of Chinese military ships since President Duterte’s pivot to China.
A statement from the Philippine Navy said the frigates, Wu Hu and Han Dan, accompanied by replenishment vessel, Dong Ping Hu, will drop anchors at Pier 15 in South Harbor, Manila, before noontime.
Navy Spokesman Capt. Jonathan Zata said the Navy will accord the visiting ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy a welcome ceremony and port briefing upon their arrival.
The official presence of these Chinese navy ships in the country’s territorial waters would be the first since China exercised a de facto control over the Scarborough Shoal beginning in 2012 and its development of man-made islands in the West Philippine Sea, which it has transformed into bases.
The arrival of Chinese military ships showed the government has moved past from the issues of the constant harassments of Chinese paramilitary ships of Filipino fishermen inside its territory which is being disputed by China.
A recently released survey found out that China is the least among the countries that Filipinos are trusting, with the United States of America (USA) and Japan as the countries they could mostly count on.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was not surprised with the survey results, saying this was due to the country’s “long association and relationship with the USA.”
“A lot of Filipinos studied there, a lot worked there and a lot have relatives there. Compared to other countries, USA has the most number of Filipino migrants,” he said.
Lorenzana, likewise, said the government will build a fishermen’s shelter in Pagasa Island.
The construction of the shelter were among the improvement projects eyed in Pagasa Island, which include the development of a beaching ramp and the repair of the Rancudo Airfield.