Typhoon won’t stop WPS patrols
Rest assured that the sovereignty patrols of the government will continue with due observance of safety procedures during inclement weather.
Enhanced patrols at the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will not stop even if typhoon “Bising”, expected east of the country, makes the western seaboard choppy, a government task force said.
“Rest assured that the sovereignty patrols of the government will continue with due observance of safety procedures during inclement weather,” Asec. Omar Romero, spokesperson of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, told Daily Tribune.
Patrols are currently being carried out by one Coast Guard ship, two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels, and five Navy ships.
“Bising”, also known by the international name “Surigae”, entered the Philippine area of responsibility east of Mindanao at 6:20 a.m. (Friday), and was seen moving west northward.
It intensified into a typhoon at 8 a.m. with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 160 kph, and was forecast to strengthen further in the next three days, the state weather bureau PAGASA said.
Current forecasts by PAGASA indicate that “Bising” would continue its current track only until Monday and turn northeastward, unlikely to make landfall nor cross into the west.
However, some past storms, particularly the strong ones, were reported to have caused choppy seas on one side of the archipelago even while they were still on the other side.
Commodore Armand Balilo, PCG spokesperson, said weather at the WPS was still fine as of Friday morning, and “Bising” was not expected to throw a wrench at the patrols guarding against 240 Chinese vessels.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana shared a similar view, saying in particular that the Julian Felipe Reef is “too far away”.
Julian Felipe Reef is only one of the several features in the WPS where the Chinese flotilla was first spotted in March and prompted the Philippines’ enhanced patrols in the area.