NI NOEL ABUEL
Nais ni Senador Chiz Escudero na paglaanan ng P100 milyon sa 2024 national budget upang magamit sa pagtatayo ng permanenteng istruktura sa Ayungin Shoal sa West Philippine Sea (WPS) upang mapalakas ang presensya ng Pilipinas sa pinagtatanunang maritime territory.
Ayon sa senador, maghahain ito ng panukala para mabigyan ng pondo ang pagtatayo ng istruktura sa WPS tulad ng pantalan na isasagawa ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) o ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“Civilian agencies such as DPWH or PCG should build this structure so as not to add to the militarization of the area. Kung ako ang tatanungin, mas gusto ko sa DPWH dahil hindi naman giyera ang layunin natin dito. Total naman basta infrastructure ang pinag-uusapan, DPWH ang ang iimplement,” paliwanag nito.
“I will propose the allocation of minimum P100 million to fund the construction of a pier and lodging structures for our soldiers assigned in the area, and for our fishermen who might seek temporary refuge in times of bad weather,” sabi ni Escudero.
“The allocation for Ayungin Shoal will give President Marcos the budget cover should he decide to do (the construction) next year. So, what will be given is the congressional authority to build more in the Ayungin,” sabi nito na idinagdag na sa ilalim ng budget rules, ang Pangulo ay maaaring maglagay o humingi ng anumang item sa General Appropriations Act (GAA) para madagdagan ang pondo.
Ipinaliwanag pa ng senador na ang itatayong istruktura ay magsisilbing “lodging” ng mga sundalo na nakatalaga sa BRP Sierra Madre gayundin ng mga mangingisda sa buong bansa na maaaring pagtaguan sakaling abutan ng masamang panaho.
“It will welcome fishermen in distress with warm accommodations and not with a blast of the water cannon. It is there to help and not to harass,” giit ni Escudero.
Pahayag pa ng senador na dapat na madaliin ang pagtatayo ng istruktura dahil sa malaking problema ng mga sundalo na nasa Sierra Madre ang nararanasang masamang panahon at malaki ang posibilidad na tuluyang lumubog ito dahil sa labis na kalumaan.
“It’s being beached there was supposed to be an ad hoc measure. After almost one-quarter it is time for a permanent solution,” suhestiyon ni Escudero na nagsabing ang gagamitin sa pagtatayo ay gagwin sa lupa.
“China built a structure even if it is contested by the Philippines. I don’t think anything prevents us from at least allocating funds in order to give the president flexibility to make the accommodations in that shoal more acceptable for our soldiers who are there instead of living in a dilapidated old ship,” ani Escudero.
Idinagdag pa nito na ang paglalaan ng pondo dito ay makakatulong sa ipinasang resolusyon ng Senado.
“This proposal is not designed to anger China or bring us closer to the brink (of war). This is just to give the president flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit. Otherwise, we will have to wait another year if he decides to do so sometime next year without any budget cover,” ayon pa dito.
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