Palace exec may visit Reed Bank ‘in due time’

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. on Tuesday said he might visit the disputed Reed Bank “in due time." “Not yet. Come to think of it, why not? In due time, perhaps," Ochoa said when asked if he has plans on visiting Reed Bank (also known as Recto Bank) soon. Ochoa also heads the Cabinet cluster on security, peace and justice, and the Anti-Terrorism Council. Pressed further if he would visit Reed Bank or the Spratly Islands, he said: “Well, maybe both." China last week protested the visit by four lawmakers to Pag-asa Island, claiming that it might “sabotage" relations between China and the Philippines. The Philippine government said the lawmakers had the right to visit the island as it is well within the country’s territory. The Philippines had earlier accused China, a claimant in the Spratlys dispute, of intrusion into its territories. It cited several incidents earlier this year as reported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Ochoa said President Benigno Aquino III mentioned the Reed Bank in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday in order to assert Philippine sovereignty in the island. “We need to show that no matter what, we will assert our sovereignty when the situation calls for it," he said. Ochoa said the Philippines’ acquisition of a Hamilton-class cutter, which will be stationed near Palawan province, is not a sign that the country is gearing up for war. “It is there to patrol our territorial seas. The BRP Humabon is a World War II boat. That’s the only boat we have in the Navy that is capable of going to the high seas. We really need this type of boat, not against anybody, but for this country," he said. — KBK, GMA News