USS Wasp is an attraction to locals and foreigners, including Chinese

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 Vic Vizcocho 0 Comments

Here for the Ph-US joint military exercises Balikatan, the US Navy Ship USS Wasp, docked at Subic Bay Freeport’s Alava Pier, has become an attraction to locals and foreigners, alike, which include Chinese-speaking persons, who troop to the pier to take a closer look at the American multi-purpose amphibious assault ship that carries, among others, F-35B stealth fighter jets.

A spike in economic activities has been noted by local business establishments in the area since the arrival of the ship, although much of the over a thousand sailors and marines it carries are still mainly out in the military exercises. As before, when the US Navy was maintaining a naval base in Subic Bay, the arrival of US Ships is a welcome development to residents, not only for economic reasons, but security as well, especially with the ongoing Chinese aggression that has seen Philippine territories in the West Philippines Sea being taken over by China whose coast guard and navy shoo away Filipino fishermen from their traditional fishing grounds.

SubicBayNews photos by Vic V. Vizcocho, Jr.