The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, General Cirilito Sobejana. | PN File

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, General Cirilito Sobejana, has promised the military’s support for the development of Pag-asa and the security of the Kalayaan Islands Group (KIG).

Sobejana acknowledged the need to turn Pag-asa Island into a “logistics hub” to protect KIG’s biodiversity and the livelihood of its fishing communities in a virtual meeting with Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez, who is also the chairperson of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) on July 19, a press statement released Wednesday by the AFP said.

ā€œWe are glad that we are on the same page in the future of the province of Palawan, that we view it as a strategic and critical national security frontier, particularly in the interests of ecological balance and sustainable development,ā€ Sobejana said.

Sobejana also commended the Palawan provincial government’s efforts to safeguard the nation’s interests, particularly its proposal to designate the KIG as a protected area under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (Republic Act 7586).

Also included in the virtual discussion is the future development of Pag-asa as a refuge for Filipino fishermen as well as a potential tourist attraction is being discussed.

ā€œWe are at a point when we have to stick together as one nation and we are glad that the Provincial Government of Palawan is already on board,ā€ Sobejana added.

He said such a move would need the development and building of infrastructure targeted at maintaining the island’s economic growth.

Present in the meeting were Atty. Teodoro Jose Matta, PCSD Executive Director; Maj. Gen. Rene Diaz, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, J4; and Brig. Gen. Rene Raoul Rommel Honasan, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, AJ4.

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