Thitu Island
Pag-asa Island, having an area of, is the second largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands and the largest of the Philippine-administered islands. It lies about west of Puerto Princesa City. Its neighbours are the North Danger Reef to the north, Subi Reef to the west, and the Loaita and Tizard Banks to the south.
As the administrative headquater of Kalayaan municipality of Palawan province in Philippines, it also administers nearly dozen other islets, cays and reefs in the Spratly Islands. Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China's claims on the South China Sea in 2016 and ruled in favor of Philippines which currently also has the operational control over the island. USA and Australia have also rejected China's claim as unlawful and baseless. Vietnam also claim the island.
During 2019-20, island's naval port and civilian-military airstrip were upgraded despite being swarmed by Chinese vassels. Pag-asa Island has an naval jetty and landing ramp, dual use military and civilian airstrip, a 5-bed lying-in clinic, and a small elementary school.
Etymology
Filipino name of the island Pag-asa' literally means "hope". It is also called ; Đảo Thị Tứ; Pangasinan: Ilalo.Chinese fishermen historically called the island Tie Zhi. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as "Tiezhi Island" ; Tiezhi Reef refers to another area 7.5 km northeast of this island. The modern Chinese name of the island was taken from one of the battleships named Chung-yeh, sent by the Chinese government during the Republic of China era to regain control of the island in 1946.
History
Early and colonial history
There are historical records of the island having been inhabited, at various times in history, by fishermen from Champa in present-day Vietnam and the Chinese, and during the Second World War by French Indochina and Imperial Japanese troops. Around 2018-19, Philippines built a beach ramp, enabling the delivery of construction equipment for to work on the construction, rehabilitation and repairs of the Rancudo Airfield airstrip, soldiers' barracks, conventional and renewable power generators, desalination facilities, lighthouses, sewage disposal system, shelters and storage facilities for civilian fishermen.From 1930 to 1933, the French colonial government in French Indochina sent naval troops to the Spratlys, including Thitu Island. On 21 December 1933, Gouverneur M. J. Krautheimer in Cochinchina decided to annex the Spratlys to Bà Rịa Province.
Post-independence history
Establishment of civilian administration
There were no large settlements on the island until 1956, when a Filipino lawyer-businessman-adventurer named Tomas Cloma decided to "claim" a part of the Spratly islands as his own, naming it the "Free Territory of Freedomland".The Philippines formally established the Municipality of Kalayaan on Pag-asa island on 11 June 1978, by virtue of Presidential Decree 1596 series of 1978. Seven new buildings were constructed in 2017.
Rejection of Chinese claim by Permanent Court of Arbitration
In January 2014, the Chinese media reported the ambitions of China to reclaim the island as its own. After Permanent Court of Arbitration rejected China's claims on the South China Sea in 2016 and ruled in favor of Philippines, in August 2017 China sent a contingent of naval vessels to the immediate vicinity of Thitu Island, including two frigates, one Coast Guard vessel, and two large fishing vessels. In March 2019, it was reported by Taiwan that 600 Chinese vessels had come and gone around the island in the first quarter of that year, with dozens of vessels maintaining their presence on a daily basis. Philippines has asked the China to respect the rule of law. Taiwan also claims the island, but its claims are subject to Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in favor of Philippines.Permanent Court of Arbitration which ruled against China stated that "there was no evidence it had historically exercised exclusive control over the sea's waters or resources". USA and Australia have also formally rejected China's territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea since it had "no legal basis" and USA called China's actions in the area "unlawful".
Topography
Pag-asa Island is low-lying, with trees, shrubs and sand bars. It is surrounded by coral reefs populated with rusting shipwrecks visible above water.Civilian administration
The island serves as a town proper to the municipality of Kalayaan. Only this island among all Philippine-occupied Spratly islands is currently inhabited by Filipino civilians. The civilian population of about 300, which includes children, was introduced in 2001. However, fewer than 200 civilian Filipinos are present in the island at a time. They live in a few dozen houses, linked with sandy paths. It administers nearly dozen other islets, cays and reefs in the Spratly Islands. It is the only Philippine-occupied island in the Spratlys to have a significant number of structures, including a municipal hall, multi-purpose hall, health center, school, water-filtration plant, engineering building, marina, communication tower, and military barracks. The residents raise pigs, goats, and chickens, and plant crops in an allotted space to supplement their supplies of goods provided by a naval vessel which visits once a month. By day, the residents get electricity from a power generator owned by the municipality. By night, they shift to stored solar power that comes from 1.5-volt solar panels installed on the island. The houses do not have running water – water is used from tanks in front of each house.Military
The island has been occupied and administered by the Philippines since 1971.Being the second largest of the Spratly Islands, It is tightly protected by the Philippine forces. The island's beaches have unused concrete bunkers which were built in the 1970s, a few years after the Philippine military base was established. Two-thirds of the Philippine military stationed in Philippine-occupied islands are assigned to the island.
Rancudo military and civilian airfield
Rancudo Airfield is a military and civilian airfield which has a unpaved airstrip. It currently operates on 1,200 airstrip because both ends of the runway have already eroded to the sea. Repairs are on-going and are expected to be finished by the end of 2021.By 2020 the upgrade of port was complete, and Filipino Naval ship BRP Ivatan landed on the port.
Work on the port and upgrades to the island’s airstrip progressed despite the all
Naval Station Emilio Liwanag
Naval Station Emilio Liwanag is the naval base of the Philippine Navy within Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan. It was renamed on July 7, 2009 in honor of Emilio S. Liwanag, a retired World War II and Korean War veteran. Philippine Navy's BRP Lanao del Norte to run aground during a failed attempt to dock near the island in 2004. The damaged ship remains at the site of the wreck. Additionally, the Philippine Navy has since then built a naval base be built on the island, specifically for the purposes of training the Philippine Navy's elite Special Warfare Group or Navy Seals.In June 9, 2020, the Philippines' Department of National Defense led the inauguration of a beaching ramp on the Pag-asa island which was finally completed after three years. The facility enabled to bring in more materials and equipment to repair and maintain the airstrip and building of other facilities. Also, Department of Transportation confirmed that the new seaport and sheltered port in the Pag-asa island is completed and ready to operate by June 12. In June 2020, Philippines reversed its decision to suspend Philippines–United States Visiting Forces Agreement, and completed construction of access ramp at the Thitu island which will enable Philippines to commence repair to the airbase runway. China has been asked by Philippines to respect the Permanent Court of Arbitration which rejected China's claims on the South China Seam asked China to follow the rule of law, and consequently post Corona virus the trust deficit between China and Philippines has increased.
Development plans
has since 1999 proposed to create a long causeway leading to a deep-water region.The island has a white sand coastline, is filled with trees, and is a sanctuary of several species of sea birds. Its wide coral base makes for good diving. Senator Sonny Angara filed a bill on 27 August 2016 that aims to promote the island as an ecotourism zone.
In 2017, approximately 1.6 billion pesos was allocated to the island's development, for projects including a desalination plant, a port, and runway repairs. Newly repaired naval and air ports will enable the delivery of construction materials and essential supplies to improve living conditions, and construction of desalination plant, renewable energy power source, cold storage facility, and fish port.