Sen. Lacson hails presence of US aircraft carrier in SCS
MANILA — “A breath of fresh air.” That was how Senator Panfilo Lacson described the presence of one of the US Navy's longest-serving active carriers in the contested South China Sea, control of which is at the heart of a maritime dispute between the Philippines and China.
“Not being pro USA and anti-China, the presence of USS Carl Vinson in the West Philippine Sea is a breath of fresh air for those of us, pro Philippines,” Lacson tweeted Friday. “It is called, balance of power,” he added.
USS Carl Vinson arrived in Manila on Friday for a routine port visit during its Western Pacific deployment.
More than 5,500 sailors from the aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy will participate in community service projects while in Manila.
Carl Vinson was deployed in the South China Sea amid Beijing's installation of military facilities and capabilities in its artificial islands in the region. "US presence matters. I think it’s very clear that we are in the South China Sea. We are operating," Rear Admiral John Fuller told reporters aboard Carl Vinson.
Ties between the Philippines and China have significantly improved under President Rodrigo Duterte, who has set aside a ruling from a UN-backed tribunal that invalidated Beijing’s maritime ambitions.
Meanwhile, Washington, Manila’s traditional treaty ally, has been infuriating Beijing for repeatedly sending warships close to Chinese-controlled reefs in recent years.