CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 30 November) – The Philippine government is planning to build a naval base inside the 3,000-hectare PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The plan was unveiled by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. to Misamis Oriental Governor Peter Unabia and Rep. Lordan Suan (1st District, Cagayan de Oro) during his visit to Lumbia Airbase, one of the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.
Teodoro said the construction of the naval base would be funded by the Office of the President.
He said the base would be manned by the Philippine Navy Fleet Command and would also serve as the logistics center for the military forces in Mindanao.
“Everything that is bulky and heavy to be carried by the Air Force would be shipped to the naval base,” Teodoro told reporters.
Unabia told reporters the provincial government of Misamis Oriental fully supports the plan to build the naval base in Tagoloan.
He said one of the reasons for choosing PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate as the site of the future naval base is the presence of good roads leading to other provinces in Mindanao.
Teodoro said the naval base can complement the air operations at Lumbia Air Base in case of any major disasters.
Teodoro, Unabia and Suan inspected Lumbia Air Base, which would house the aircraft and the headquarters of the 5th Philippine Air Force Fighter Wing.
They also inspected the building that houses the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center of the Office of Civil Defense.
Lumbia Air Base was a beehive of activity on Saturday as workers toiled to finish the improvements on runways, hangars and aircraft parking.
Teodoro said all the construction works in Lumbia are being funded by the Philippine government as the $37 million promised by the US government for the improvement of the base has yet to materialize. (Froilan Gallardo/MindaNews)
