Navy Plans to Convert Mactan Base Into Philippine Fleet

The Philippine Navy is eyeing the naval base in Mactan to be the new home for its P Fleet. Vice Admiral Jesus Millan, the Philippine Navy's Flag Officer in Command, said Cebu is the perfect site to be the next Philippine Fleet because  of its ease of access to air and sea ports and it is also the center of all the shipping companies, restoration facilities.

Milian said that the area has a strength to be the formal place and home for all the Philippine Navy support and current floating properties and those that will be acquired in the future. Millan has asked Commodore Ronald Joseph Mercado, the new Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) chief, to make Cebu's Naval Base Rafael Ramos as a hub for all its ground and sea assets under the Philippine Fleet.

Mercado, will be the new commander of the Western Mindanao Naval Forces replacing the former Navforcen commander Commodore Reynaldo Yoma. He was last dispersed with the Offshore Combat Force of the Philippine Navy.

Mercado, who said he is willing to take the challenge as the new Navforcen chief also promised to continue and strengthen the humanitarian support and disaster response in the Visayas.

Millan said Yoma’s leadership was done well,  particularly on the three major man-made and natural calamities  which are a sea collision, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Cebu and Bohol and super typhoon Yolanda that hit the major part of Visayas last year.