CAGAYAN DE ORO — A fishers’ group opposed the United States’ (US) funding for the development of the proposed Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite.

Aside from potential adverse effects on their fishing activities, the Cavite chapter of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) raised concerns about the involvement of the US government, considering that the airport, a former US naval base located in Manila Bay, is near the West Philippine Sea, an area that is part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) but where China claims authority.

“Fisherfolk have experiences where their livelihoods have been affected every time there are activities held by the US soldiers in our sea and coast,” Richard Catenza, Pamalakaya-Cavite president, said in a statement.

Read:Tacloban fishers slam Balikatan exercises

The US Trade and Development Agency announced on May 12 that it would support funding for a feasibility study on the proposed SPIA, perceived as a way to address the passenger congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

The US agency awarded the funding to Cavitex Holdings Inc. The latter, meanwhile, chose California-based airport consulting firm The S-A-P Group, LLC (SAP) to conduct the study.

Aside from providing technical expertise, the consulting firm is expected to provide recommendations to the US for advanced security screening as the Sangley Airport could have direct flights to the US.

In a report by Reuters, a consortium led by China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC) won an auction in 2019 to partner with the Cavite government to develop the said airport. However, the award was cancelled due to the deficiency of the company’s documents and not because of the US sanction.

The CCCC was reportedly one of the Chinese firms blacklisted by the US over its alleged “roles in building military installations on submerged reefs in disputed areas of the South China Sea.”

Experts told the South China Morning Post that SPIA could become more than an aviation project due to “its access to the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, a critical corridor in any Taiwan-related contingency.”

Courtesy of Google Earth

“We don’t buy it. We are not ignorant of the sinister agenda of the US in funding the rehabilitation and ultimate transformation of the SPIA,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson, said in a statement.

Catenza said that opposing this US support should also be done by residents near Manila Bay as they may be dragged into any conflict involving the US. (DAA)

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