President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to improve its facilities on the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Saturday. In particular, Lorenzana said the President wanted the 1.3-kilometer runway on Pag-asa Island paved. “The President has an order that, on Pag-asa Island, the facilities should be improved,” Lorenzana said. ADVERTISEMENTAt 37 hectares, Pag-asa is the biggest island occupied by the Philippines in the Spratlys. Lorenzana said the President also wanted to improve other facilities in reefs and islets controlled by the Philippines in the Spratlys.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 18, 2017 16:27 UTC