The Philippines may shift key air and naval assets to a former US naval base to boost its response time to waters contested by China, officials said Monday.
Subic Bay, which faces the strategically important South China Sea, was a major US naval facility until 1992, when it was converted into a busy freeport by the Philippine government.
Department of Defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez also confirmed the plan, which would include the transfer of two key warships acquired from the US. He said the naval headquarters near Manila would soon be privatized, while an airport near Subic that was being used by the air force was to undergo expansion soon.
The Chinese have effectively gained control of Scarborough Shoal after the Philippine navy backed down following a standoff last year. The shoal is near Subic and lies just 230 kilometers (140 miles) west of the main island of Luzon.
Subic, along with the nearby Clark Airbase, were key facilities for the United States during World War II. They provided logistical support during the Vietnam War in the 1970s and remained of strategic importance during the Cold War.Â
Clark closed in 1991 after nearby Mount Pinatubo volcano erupted, covering the base in ash and making it unusable. The last US ship sailed out of Subic a year later.