US-funded civilian port to rise in Batanes

Recognizing its strategic significance and proximity to Taiwan, the provincial government of Batanes announced recently the construction of a civilian port that will be funded by the United States.

Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco said that the US Army will arrive in April to further discuss the plan that aims to accommodate Filipino workers from Taiwan in the event of a crisis and emergency.

Batanes is located less than 200 kilometers from Taiwan.  It also holds strategic significance should a conflict ensue between China and Taiwan.  

As of October 2023, more than 150,000 Filipinos live and work in Taiwan, according to the Department of Migrant Workers. These numbers were provided by the Ministry of Labor in Taiwan.

Cayco said she sought funding from the US for the building of an “alternative port” in her province which is intended to assist in the unloading of cargo from Manila during rough seas in the monsoon season.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. called for the development of more structures in Batanes to increase military presence.

Earlier this month, the Philippine Navy held a ceremony in Batanes, one of the locations for annual military drills between the Philippines and the US.

A Reuters report in August 2023 noted the US military was in talks to develop a civilian port in the remote northernmost islands of the Philippines, a move that would boost American access to strategically located islands facing Taiwan.

The Philippines has recently ramped up its military ties with the US and allowed greater US access to local military bases.