THE Philippine government plans to build a naval base inside the 3,000-hectare Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro unveiled the plan to Misamis Oriental Governor Peter Unabia and Rep. Lordan Suan (1st district, Cagayan de Oro) during his visit to Lumbia Airbase, one of the key sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.
Teodoro said the construction of the naval base would be Philippine-funded and sourced to the Office of the Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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. Misamis Oriental.
He said one of the reasons they have chosen Phividec Industrial Estate as the future site of the naval bases is its good roads leading to other provinces in Mindanao.
Teodoro said the naval base can complement the air operations in the Lumbia air base in case of any major disasters.
Teodoro, Unabia, and Suan inspected Lumbia Air Base, which would house the planes and the headquarters of the 5th Philippine Air Force Fighter Wing.
He also inspected the building that houses the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operation Center of the Office of Civil Defense.
Lumbia Airport was a beehive of activity on Saturday as workers finished the improvements of runways, hangars, and aircraft parking.
Teodoro said all of the construction in Lumbia is being funded by the Philippine government as the US government had yet to implement its promised $3.7 million for the improvement of the base.
