More forces and military assets will be positioned to secure Batanes Strait as the Armed Forces of the Philippines inaugurated its forward base in the northernmost part of the country last week.

Last Wednesday, the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom inaugurated the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Mahatao, Batanes which will host Navy and Marine units under the Northern Luzon Naval Command and Marine Battalion Landing Team-10 (MBLT-10).

Lt. Col. Mario Bautista Jr. Northern Luzon Command public affairs chief, said "these units are tasked with securing the Batanes Strait, monitoring maritime activities, and supporting interagency operations."

In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday, Philippine Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said that following the inauguration the facility is now ready for occupancy."

"The follow-on forces and equipment and units will follow," he said.

Trinidad said this base "will afford the AFP further leverage in projecting our forces across our maritime domain."

"Mahatao Forward Operating Base has the capability to support and sustain our deployed forces for longer periods of time," he added.

Bautista said the establishment of the Forward Operating Base in Mahatao "ensures closer collaboration between NOLCOM and the local government unit in sustaining peace, security, and disaster response in the island province."

"The Mahatao FOB represents a strong partnership between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Batanes," he said.

It "strengthens the country’s ability to protect sovereignty, expand maritime domain awareness, and respond rapidly to emergencies in the northern frontier," he added.

NOLCOM Commander Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca, who led the inauguration, stressed that the military based located at the coastal town of Mahatao said that it also "strengthens the ability of the military "to defend the northern frontier and ensures that Nolcom, together with the Province of Batanes, can respond swiftly to both security challenges and disasters,”

“This partnership with the local government shows how national defense and local governance work hand in hand for the protection of our people," he added.

Batanes which serve as a gateway to both the West Philippine Sea and the Philippine Sea holds a strategic value due to its close proximity to Taiwan. Robina Asido/DMS