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Navy stations troops at retired gas platforms off Palawan

By Priam Nepomuceno

October 19, 2020, 2:03 pm

<p>Navy chief, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo. <em>(File photo)</em></p>

Navy chief, Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo. (File photo)

MANILA – Troops are now being deployed to the retired Nido and Matinloc gas platforms which are being eyed for conversion into littoral monitoring stations (LMSs) by the Philippine Navy (PN), its chief said on Monday.

"I would like to add also we have inspected the Nido platform and also the Matinloc platforms in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and we are putting Navy personnel in that area and also the Area Command (is) putting their personnel there and initially, we (will) develop that into littoral monitoring station(s)," Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said in a virtual briefing.

Last Sept. 26, Bacordo visited these facilities located off northeast Palawan.

He said the Nido platform will watch over the Recto Bank and the Matinloc platform will monitor the Malampaya gas field and the Malampaya platform.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier announced that it plans to convert the two retired gas platforms into LMSs for the Navy.

The Department of Energy (DOE) last year ceased the production operations of these two gas fields after over 40 years.

The transfer of ownership of these platforms was offered by the DOE in several meetings of the National Task Force in the West Philippine Sea.

It was the Department of National Defense’s position to acquire these platforms and expeditiously transfer it to the AFP. (PNA)

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