MANILA, Philippines – The United States Navy is planning to build a new boat maintenance facility in Palawan that will provide “repair and maintenance capabilities” for several small Philippine military watercrafts, the U.S. Embassy said on Wednesday.
The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command issued a public solicitation for the design and construction of the new facility at the Naval Detachment Oyster Bay, Palawan, the Embassy stated.
Aside from providing repair and maintenance capabilities for military watercrafts, it will also include two multi-purpose interior rooms suitable for equipment storage or conference use.
The U.S. Embassy clarified that it is not a military base.
“The project is approved by the government of the Philippines in accordance with all applicable U.S. and Philippine local rules and regulations,” the Embassy said.
“Our U.S. Philippine alliance with its roots in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty remains a cornerstone of peace and security, promoting our common vision for a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific. All of our military activities in the Philippines are done in full coordination with our Philippine allies,” the Embassy emphasized.
In 2024, the U.S. pledged USD 500 million in foreign military aid for the Philippines to boost its military capabilities.
Also, the Philippines granted the U.S. access to four additional military sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The United States and the Philippines’ militaries have also been engaged in joint military exercises, the most prominent of which is the annual Balikatan Exercises, with bilateral trainings evolving from traditional drills into full-spectrum, integrated battle simulation across land, sea, air, cyber and humanitarian domains, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
