Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (WesCom) welcome Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson upon his arrival in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Saturday morning (November 20).
Lacson is in the province to make a scheduled visit to Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan to consult with and check on local residents and fishermen in the area amid recent tensions over the West Philippine Sea.
The AFP WesCom is expected to brief Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, on the status of Pag-asa Island. The visit is also part of his ongoing serious commitment to study the matter as one of the presidential aspirants seeking to lead the country in the next six years.
Also known as Thitu Island, Pag-asa is the second largest of the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.