AFP denies augmenting troops in Spratlys

The Philippine military has deployed an unspecified number of troops to the Philippine-occupied island in the disputed Spratlys Islands but said it has nothing to do with the current tension with China. At a press briefing on Tuesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Commodore Miguel Jose Rodriguez said the troops replaced — and not augmented — the existing force in the area. “That’s rotation, there are no additional forces there," said Rodriguez. The military has been withholding the number of troops stationed in Pagasa Island and in several other islands occupied by the Philippines in the Spratlys for security reasons. Last Sunday, a Navy ship, BRP Benguet, anchored in Pagasa Island and unloaded troops and supplies there. Rodriguez said the troops came from the AFP Western Command based in Puerto Princesa City. “It’s a regular transport run, regular re-supply because we have civilians [on] the island, we have our military officers, military personnel, on the island," the military spokesman said. The Spratlys, believed to rich in oil and mineral deposits, are being claimed by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Recently, China has made aggressive moves to strengthen its claim in the area. Rodriguez said the military has no plan of augmenting its forces in the area. “We do not have plans as of this time to deploy additional troops because our troops there are embedded in the area. This is determined at the start of the year, it’s programmed. This rotation has been programmed, it’s a regular rotation," he said. — KBK, GMA News