West PH Sea: New hangar on Pagasa Island finished before yearend – AFP

LOOK: Marine personnel conduct inspection at the hangar on Pagasa Island last Oct. 24, 2024 in view of Tropical Storm Kristine. PHOTO FROM THE KALAYAAN LGU

MANILA, Philippines — A new hangar on Pagasa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea is expected to be finished before the end of the year, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Vice Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr., commander of the AFP’s Western Command, said the facility, which began construction two years ago, is now 90 percent complete.

“We are looking at this year, as for the completion of that facility,” Torres told reporters after the military drills at Kota Island.

On Wednesday, island retaking drills were held by AFP in Kota Island—which is about 20 miles from Pagasa Island—in a bid to bolster the defense capability of the country against external threats.

READ: AFP holds simulated island defense drills in West Philippine Sea

Torres said the control tower on Pagasa Island will also become the headquarters of the Philippine Air Force’s-Tactical Operations Group, which will oversee the entire Kalayaan Island Group.

“It will become the office of TOG of Pagasa Island, and that will facilitate all the air operations in the Kalayaan Island Group,” Torres said.

“These are the much-needed facilities for our platforms,” he added.

Pag-asa Island is the largest maritime feature in the Kalayaan Island Group, and it serves as the seat of the local government of the Municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan.

More than 400 civilian locals — including some 70 children — call the island home together with stationed military, law enforcement, and civilian government personnel.

China, however, claims ownership over Pagasa Island as part of its sovereignty claim in the entire South China Sea, a claim that was effectively dismissed by an international tribunal ruling in 2016.