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Sunday, March 23, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 162
GRANDE ISLAND: SUBIC’S SENTINEL
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LOVE IN THE TIME OF LEPROSY By Joel C. Paredes
P
UERTO PRINCESA, Palawan— Long before El Nido and Coron gained international fame as must-see destinations, Puerto Princesa held a special allure, captivating lovers with its natural beauty. I can easily relate to this sentiment. My mother, a social worker, often recounted how she met my late father, a struggling journalist, in that enchanting laidback city.
THE Grande Island and its smaller neighbor Chiquita guard the entrance to the Subic Bay Freeport. PH2 R. MANARY VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
WHILE working as a social worker, Liwayway Paredes made her way to Culion on a wooden shipping vessel.
The defense department is now seriously eyeing strategic Grande Island—once a tourist draw but long coveted by dubious interests—as a military post
S
By Henry Empeño
UBIC BAY FREEPORT—An American-era island-fortress here which has since been developed into a popular tourism destination is being eyed by the Department of National Defense (DND) as a military reservation after noting that the strategic island could be used in illegal activities related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
PUERTO Princesa Baywalk has become a favorite hangout of locals and tourists to enjoy the view of the bay. JOEL C. PAREDES
TOURISTS view a World War II gun emplacement at the former Fort Wint in Subic’s Grande Island CORREGIDOR.PROBOARDS.COM
The DND broached the idea of turning the 42-hectare Grande Island and its smaller neighbor Chiquita into military outposts following the arrest on the island on Wednesday of a Chinese national suspected of espionage and other operations that threaten national security. That operation netted, in all, five Chinese nationals, one Cambodian and two Filipinos.
In a statement posted on its website on March 20, the DND said authorities arrested on March 19 Chinese national Ye Tianwu for violations under Republic Act 8799, or the Securities Regulation Code, and RA 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Ye Tianwu, variously known as Qiu Feng and Qing Feng, is re-
portedly a shareholder of a company leasing Grande Island. He was arrested by a composite team from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). In the process of serving the warrant, authorities also arrested Chinese nationals Xu Xining, Ye Xiaocan, Su Anlong, and He Peng;
Cambodian national Ang Deck/ Dick; and Filipinos Melvin Mañosa Aguillon Jr. and Jeffrey Espiridion, who were identified as employees of Ang Deck/Dick. The arrest, the DND said, “exposes the unlawful nature, including suspected espionage and kidnapping activities related to POGO, for which some foreign nationals are using Grande Island under the guise of private enterprises.” “Such activities, which may be part of larger criminal network operations, pose a serious threat to our national security,” it added. With this, the DND said it “looks forward to working with the concerned agencies, including the SBMA, in exploring the possibility of declaring Grande Island, along with nearby Chiquita Island, as military reservations.” “This will ultimately help secure the operations of the Subic Special Economic Zone, including the Riviera Wharf and the Subic Bay International Airport, in consonance with the ongoing development of the naval operating base of the Philippine Navy to strengthen and maintain our strategic presence along our western seaboard,” it also said.
Back then, Puerto Princesa was not as easily accessible as it is today. My mother, Liwayway, was a young government social worker assigned to regular trips to Culion. To reach that island, she had to pass through Puerto Princesa, where all vessels docked en route to other parts of Palawan, a province stretching from Luzon to Mindanao. Culion, at that time, was not a typical tourist destination. It was known as a leper colony— or the “island of no return”—as many individuals afflicted with the dreaded disease were confined to that isolated island, potentially for their entire lives. Some were families who lived alongside fellow patients at the Culion Leprosarium since it was founded in 1906 to isolate individuals with leprosy to control the disease. It was believed that Culion was chosen as a location by the US government due to its relative isolation.
THE late journalist Amante F. Paredes
Both my parents were in their 20s when they met. My father, Amante, was on assignment for the Chronicle magazine. It was during this time that he wrote about the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, which is now popularly known as the underground river, a natural wonder drawing many visitors Continued on A2
Strategic importance
GRANDE Island has long been held to be of strategic importance because of its location at the mouth of Subic Bay, a former American military base, and before that, a Spanish naval outpost. THE newest Philippine frigates are docked at the Naval Operating Base in Subic in this file photo. TAKTIKOM
Continued on A2
A PICTURE-PERFECT morning scenery near the border of Puerto Princesa and the coastal town of Bacungan. JOEL C. PAREDES
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.1690 n JAPAN 0.3842 n UK 74.1539 n HK 7.3551 n CHINA 7.8859 n SINGAPORE 42.8104 n AUSTRALIA 35.9993 n EU 62.0684 n KOREA 0.0390 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.2414 Source: BSP (March 21, 2025)