US unveils boat repair hub plan in Palawan to aid PH missions in WPS

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PALAWAN, Philippines – The United States announced on Wednesday, July 16, it will construct a boat maintenance facility inside a Philippine naval detachment in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, close to critical access points to the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.

The project will rise within Naval Detachment Oyster Bay, a remote military installation in Ulugan Bay, Barangay Macarascas. The site serves as a key logistical base for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ rotation and resupply missions to the contested Ayungin Shoal.

“The boat maintenance facility is not a military base,” the US embassy in Manila said in a statement on Wednesday.

The embassy said the US Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command launched a public solicitation on July 7 for the design and construction of the facility. It is intended to support the repair and maintenance of “several small Philippine military watercraft.”

Plans also include two multi-purpose interior rooms for equipment storage or conference use.

Though limited in scope, the facility’s proximity to flashpoints in the South China Sea highlights its strategic value. The site is expected to strengthen logistical support for Philippine naval operations in areas that have seen repeated confrontations with Chinese vessels.

The US embassy said the project had been “approved by the government of the Philippines in accordance with all applicable US and Philippine local rules and regulations.”

“Our US-Philippine alliance, with its roots in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, remains a cornerstone of peace and security, promoting our common vision for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific,” the embassy said. “All of our military activities in the Philippines are done in full coordination with our Philippine allies.”

The planned US facility in Palawan adds to the list of US-funded infrastructure under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows US forces access to select Philippine military bases.

While Oyster Bay is not formally among the designated EDCA sites, the project reflects a broader framework of logistical cooperation.

Amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea and increasingly perilous resupply missions, the plan underscored Washington’s growing security engagement with Manila.

“For now, the US calls it a repair hub,” said Celso Magdayao, a 61-year-old fisherman from Macarascas in Tagalog. “If it helps strengthen our defense, then that’s fine. But it should be clear – we must remain in control, not another country.”

A lawmaker in Palawan said on Thursday, July 17, that the US announcement about the planned facility was a timely response to the conditions faced by both soldiers and civilians operating near contested waters, calling it a deterrent.

“The boat repair hub in Oyster Bay [will be] a vital addition to our defense infrastructure,” said Palawan Provincial Board Member Ferdinand Zaballa. 

“We’ve seen our vessels damaged and our people harassed at sea, both fisherfolk and military personnel. 

Zaballa said the move would strengthen repair and support capabilities needed to ensure resiliency and responsiveness.

“It’s about protecting the freedom of our Palaweño fisherfolk and reinforcing our stand for sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. Deterrence is still the best defense,” he said.

The US’ announcement came about a year after the June 17, 2024 resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, where China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel blocked and attacked Philippine Navy-contracted boats. The Filipino troops, according to the military, were unarmed and delivering humanitarian aid to personnel aboard the grounded BRP Sierra Madre.

Footage released by the AFP then showed CCG personnel using tear gas, sirens, strobe lights, and engaging in physical assault. Bladed weapons were used to disable a rigid-hull inflatable boat, injuring a Filipino sailor who later underwent amputation of his right thumb.

Military officials also said CCG forces looted supplies and equipment during the operation. 

Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, continues to reject a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated its expansive claims. 

The BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II-era warship stationed at Ayungin Shoal since 1999, remains a symbol of Philippine sovereignty. But supply missions to sustain its small detachment have become increasingly dangerous.

Only small watercraft can access the shallow waters surrounding the Sierra Madre, making repair capacity for such vessels essential to sustain RoRe operations.

In 2024, then US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin III acknowledged the presence of a “US Task Force Ayungin” based in Palawan, prompting speculation about possible direct American involvement in Philippine operations. The Pentagon later clarified that the task force provides only “support functions” such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

The same year, after the CCG aggression, AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed that the US had offered to escort Philippine supply missions but emphasized Manila’s autonomy. “We will depend on ourselves first, and we will try to exhaust all options before asking for help,” he said. – Rappler.com