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Senator Jinggoy Estrada said Sunday he is planning to ask the Senate Committee on Finance, headed by Senator Sonny Angara, to include the rehabilitation of Pag-asa Island in next year’s national budget after seeing the sorry state of infrastructure in the area.

On Friday, Estrada visited Pag-asa Island, the only populated part of the Spratly group Islands which the country claims, with military officers.

Estrada said: “I will talk to Senator (Sonny) Angara to increase the budget for the rehabilitation at modernization program of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).”

Estrada, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, said he would also request a budget for a radar facility in the island to detect foreign intruders and vessels.

Estrada described how underdeveloped the infrastructure of the island was, including its health center and schools.

He said residents told him that since they were struck by Typhoon Odette in 2021, they had not received aid.

“The health center is closed because there is no doctor. How can the residents who are sick be cured? And what about those who are about to give birth? If their condition is sensitive, they need to be immediately sent to mainland Palawan,” Estrada said.

“In one classroom, they teach students from Grades 1 to 6. They only have two teachers for each classroom so sometimes soldiers volunteer to teach,” he added.

Estrada said he will write to telecommunication companies about why they are allowing the message “Welcome to China” to be sent to cellphones when entering Pag-asa Island.

“I don’t know how they do it because they are our telcos, Smart and Globe. I don’t know how they penetrate it,” he said.

“Maybe we have to call their attention by writing to them and finding out why there is a message saying ‘Welcome to China’ when that is our own territory,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS