The Philippine Island challenges Beijing in the South China Sea

Only 37 hectares, the island of Pagsa, which is controlled by the Philippines-or “hope”-is hardly great enough to live in it. There is almost nothing there.

300 people or so live in a group of small wooden houses. They hunt in pure turquoise waters, and grow vegetables that can in sandy ground.

But they are not alone in this disputed water: off the beach, to the West, lies a pumm from ships.

These are all Chinese, from the navy, the coast guard, or the so-called marine militias-large hunting ships that revive the Chinese hegemony of this sea. As our plane approaches the island, we returned at least 20.

Over the past ten years, China has been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, as it acquired the submerged coral reefs, building three large air bases on it, and deploying hundreds of ships, to enhance its demand for all strategic marine corridors that are traveling in the south of the major cities on the Chinese coast.

A few Southeast Asian countries also claim that the sea islands in the same sea dared to retreat against China; Only Vietnam and the Philippines did so. The armies in both countries are much smaller than China, but they hold a handful of coral reefs and carrots.

Pagasa – also known as Thaitu and other names, as many other countries demand – are the largest of these names.

What makes it exceptional, however, is the civilian population, located in a few islands in the South China Sea. From this Philippine’s point of view, the fact that Pagsa is a solid ground, and not partially submerged coral reefs or Sandy Kai, enhances their legal demands in the region.

Jonathan Malay, Assistant Director General of the Philippine National Security Council, told BBC: “Pagasa is very important to us,” Jonathan Malay, Assistant Director General of the Philippine National Security Council, told BBC.

“It has a runway. It can support life – with a resident Filipino society, and the fishermen who live there.

Looking at the size of the island, one of the few that did not need to be restored from the sea, under international law, generates its 12 -miles regional sea.

“Therefore, in some way, Linchpin for the Philippine presence.”

Arrival at Pagasa is to ride the boat for two to three days from the Philippine Palawan Island, or one hour flight, but both are at the mercy of the frequent stormy weather.

Until they appeared on the corridor two years ago, and they developed it to 1,300 meters (4,600 feet), it could only be landed on small aircraft. Now they can bring a large C130 transport plane. Traveling in it, as we did, is somewhat similar to riding the bus in the peak hour.

Everything should be brought from the mainland, which is why our plane was crowded, from floor to ceiling, with mattresses, eggs, rice bags, two motorcycles and luggage piles – not to mention many military individuals, most of them were to stand on the entire trip.

Many have changed in recent years. There is a new, large, enough to house aircraft during storms. They build a control and bulldozing tower to allow large boats to dock. We have been fell throughout the island by some of the Philippine naval infantry stationed there, although its size hardly seemed necessary

The Philippines seized Bagasa from Taiwan in 1971, when the Taiwanese garrison left it during a hurricane. It was officially annexed by the Philippines in 1978.

Later, the government began to encourage civilians to settle there. But they need support to stay on this distant segment of the ground. Families get formal donations for food, water and other groceries every month. They now have electricity and mobile phone connection, but this came just four years ago.

Regardless of government jobs, hunting is the only way to win a livelihood, and since the arrival of the Chinese marrow has become difficult.

The fisherman Larry Hugo lived on the island for 16 years, and he recorded the increasing Chinese control of the region. He photographed the initial construction on Subi Reef, about 32 km (20 miles) of Pagasa, which ultimately became a full -sized military air base. One of his videos, which shows that his small wooden boat shocked by a Chinese coast guard ship in 2021 made him a simple celebrity.

But Chinese harassment forced him to fish in a smaller area of ​​the house.

“Their ships are huge compared to our ships. They threaten us, approach and show their pods to chase us away. They really teach us. So I no longer go to the old hunting lands away. I have to deal with fish near the island, but fish stocks here are falling, and more difficult to fill our folds as we are used to that.”

Relelen Limbo was a 10 -year teacher, and she saw that the school was growing from a small to a full -sized school studying more than 100 pupils, from kindergarten to 18 years.

“For me this island is like heaven,” she says. “All our basic needs are taken care of. It’s clean and peaceful – children can play basketball or swim after school. We don’t need shopping centers or all this material.”

Pagsa is really quiet. At the heat of the fierce day, we found that most people are afraid of the sheep, or play music on their balconies. We have encountered Melania Alujado, a village health worker, who shook a young child to help him sleep.

“The biggest challenge for us is when people get sick, especially children,” she says.

“If it is dangerous, we need to evacuate them to the mainland. I am not a registered nurse, so I cannot perform complex medical tasks. But the aircraft are not always available, and sometimes the weather is very difficult.

“When that happens, we just have to take care of them with the best we can.”

But it also appreciates the calm of the island’s life. “We are free from the many pressures. We get supported food, and we can grow some of its own. In the big city, everything you do need money.”

We have seen some of the new homes that are built, but there is no really room for Bagasa to accommodate more people. With a very few jobs, youth usually leave the island as soon as the school is completed. Despite all its sleeping charm, the amazing white sand beaches, it feels the garrison society, and it carries the line against the strong Chinese presence that is clearly clear abroad.

“The Chinese at the air base on the Super countryside always challenges us when we deal with Bagasa,” the pilot says. “They always warn us that we are entering Chinese land without permission.”

Did they try to prevent you from ever? “No, it’s a routine. We tell them that this is the Philippine region. We do this every time.”

Jonathan Malaya says his government protested an official diplomatic protest every week at the Chinese embassy because of the presence of its ships, while the Philippines considers it to be the regional Baghsa water. This is in a remarkable contradiction with the former administration of President Rodrigo Deutti, who avoided confrontation with China in the hope of getting more investment in the Philippines.

“I think we will get more respect from China if we adhere to it, and we make it clear to them that we can play this game as well. But the problem of democracy like the Philippines is the policies that can change with new departments. China does not have this problem.”