AFP: Soldiers priority in KIG

MANILA, Philippines - Following orders by President Duterte to occupy all islets and land features in the Spratlys under Philippine control, the military said it would focus first on improving the living conditions of soldiers deployed in the Kalayaan Island Group.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said new facilities and structures would be built on seven islets and two reefs to make them more habitable for the soldiers manning them.

The new structures would include barracks and desalination facilities. He said better sewage systems as well as power generators would be installed. Additional shelters for fishermen seeking refuge from bad weather would also be constructed, the AFP said.

At present, the military outposts in KIG – except for Pag-Asa Island – still don’t have any source of potable water. A Navy logistic vessel supplies the outposts with water.

In some outposts – like in Panata sandbar – soldiers have to catch rainwater for their water supply. The soldiers have thus learned to conserve water.

“For bathing, we first use salt water. We usually make do with two dippers of fresh water for rinsing,” a soldier in Panata earlier told The STAR.

Meanwhile, a senior military official said that while the AFP is in a position to establish new outposts as ordered by Duterte, such undertaking should be done quietly so as not to agitate other claimant countries in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea, particularly China.

“This is best taken up quietly to ensure our moves are not preempted by adversarial action,” the official, who declined to be named, said.