TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Philippines will bolster naval forces in Batanes Province, just south of Taiwan, by deploying over 100 naval reservists to the region starting this weekend.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines was directed to upgrade military capabilities in the country’s northernmost province in early February. The announcement by the Philippines secretary of national defense angered Beijing, which accused Manila of “playing with fire” over Taiwan.
The news of the reservists’ deployment comes after months of steadily increasing tensions between Manila and Beijing over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Earlier this week, several Philippine sailors were injured in an altercation with Chinese ships when a Chinese vessel shattered the Filipino vessel’s windshield with a high-powered water cannon.
Following the incident, President Ferdinand Marcos said that he viewed “with great alarm these continuing dangerous maneuvers and dangerous actions” by the Chinese to target Philippine fishers and servicemen. However, Marcos said this week’s incident does not merit invoking the country’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S., a statement which raises the possibility of stronger measures in the future, reported the Inquirer.
The Inquirer added that 126 naval reservists from nearby areas completed their training this week in Basco Town on Thursday (March 7) and will be stationed on bases around the islands from March 9.
A spokesperson for the Philippine Navy, Commander John Percie Alcos, said that calling up the reservists is in line with the navy’s development plans. They have been in place since before the announcement made in February that the Philippines was looking to bolster defenses in the northernmost province.