The Philippine flag flies over Mavulis Island in Itbayat, Batanes. Batanes residents are encouraged to become Army reservists as the government plans to bolster the military capability of the island province. (File photo from the office of Sen. Francis Tolentino)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Residents of Batanes are encouraged to become Army reservists as the government plans to bolster the military capability of the island province,聽 the nearest Philippine territory to Taiwan.
Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said such a call was in line with聽Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.鈥檚 order to increase military presence and develop military structures in Batanes.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not planning to deploy. We are encouraging our fellow Filipinos [in Batanes] to volunteer, to be [a] patriot and be a reservist,鈥� he said in a press conference at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City on Thursday.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need to deploy them because they are already residents in the area,鈥� he added.
Galido wants to tap the eligible men and women of Batanes, which has a population of 18,831 as of 2020, according to the .
Teodoro鈥檚 directive for more troops to Batanes did not sit well with Beijing, however. It accused Manila of 鈥減laying with fire鈥� on the 鈥淭aiwan question.鈥�
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But Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said about what it does within its territory, noting that Teodoro鈥檚 plan is part of the Department of National Defense鈥檚 Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept.
The program aimed to address the country鈥檚 vulnerabilities and enhance its capability to defend its national interest.
Batanes鈥� Mavulis Island and the provincial capital of Basco are also being eyed as one of the potential venues for this year鈥檚 war games between Manila and Washington.
Mavulis Island, also the northernmost island of the country, is just 142 kilometers away from Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan.
Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China regards as a renegade province subject to reunification, broke away from the mainland in 1949 following its takeover by Mao Zedong鈥檚 communist forces.