The Northern Luzon Command and Naval Forces Northern Luzon have started placing sovereign markers on the islands north of Luzon as ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
According to Philippine Navy, Naval Forces North Luzon Commander Commodore Caesar Bernard Valencia, a governor has told the President that “there were a lot of foreign shipments going to the uninhabited islands” and the President has immediately taken action.
“Noong nalaman ni Presidente iyon, sabi niya na these islands must not be taken over. (When the President learned about it, he said that these islands must not be taken over.)”
The Northern Luzon Command and Naval Forces Northern Luzon have mounted the sovereign markers on 11 islands in Batanes and Cagayan:
1. A’li Island, Itbayat, Batanes
2.Di’Ne, Island, Itbayat, Batanes
3. Siayan Island, Itbayat, Batanes
4. Misanga Island, Itbayat, Batanes
5. Vohos Island, Sabtang, Batanes
6. Dequey Island, Sabtang, Batanes
7. Palaui Island, Sta. Ana, Cagayan
8. Pinon Island, Calayan, Cagayan
9. Pamoctan Island, Calayan, Cagayan
10. Dos Hermanas Island, Sta. Ana, Cagayan
11. Balintang Island, Calayan, Cagayan
Uninhabited islands are included in their project. The Philippine Navy will also take the lead in other plans.
“Putting up this structure such as sovereign markers and lighthouses is asserting our own ownership over this island,” Valencia revealed.
The installation of sovereign markers started on February 2020 but was interrupted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
The PN is facing challenges in placing the markers but aims to complete the placement by the end of August. The Navy is also hoping for the continuous support not only from the government but from the public and local government as well as in protecting the territory of the Philippines. – Report from Bea Bernardo
