MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has lodged a diplomatic protest with China over a floating structure spotted inside Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said on Tuesday.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already undertaken appropriate diplomatic action with the government of the People’s Republic of China in connection with the illegal presence of this floating structure,” the NTF-WPS said in a statement.
The task force added that aerial monitoring by several government agencies confirmed the presence of a floating platform measuring about 6 by 6 meters and appearing to have an antenna.
Latest imagery obtained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines also showed six personnel on top of the structure, while monitoring by the Philippine Coast Guard indicated that the platform remains within the shoal with individuals onboard, according to the NTF-WPS.
READ: PH probes report of new structure at Panatag Shoal
“The protection of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction remains a paramount consideration,” it said, adding that government agencies are continuing to monitor developments and assess the nature, purpose and implications of the installation.
AFP findings
On Monday, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. disclosed that a moving structure had been detected inside the lagoon of Panatag, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc, in the West Philippine Sea.
The shoal lies about 220 kilometers from Luzon in the West Philippine Sea, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It has remained under Chinese control since a 2012 standoff with the Philippine Navy.
READ: PH Coast Guard drives Chinese vessel away from Panatag Shoal
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, waters in the western portion of the country’s 370-km EEZ. It also continues to ignore a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that nullified its claims and upheld Manila’s sovereign rights over these waters.
Brawner said that to determine the nature of the structure, the AFP has deployed aircraft over the area and continues to conduct aerial surveillance whenever weather conditions permit.
The military is also planning to deploy ships to monitor activities in the shoal, he said.
Brawner added that the structure appeared similar to an object previously identified in satellite images shared by maritime expert Ray Powell, director of SeaLight.
Diplomatic measures
Brawner earlier warned against any activity that could lead to the construction of permanent facilities at the shoal, saying the Philippines would not allow a repeat of developments seen in other disputed features that eventually became artificial islands.
He further said the government was pursuing diplomatic measures in response to the discovery, including the filing of a demarche through the DFA and consultations with allies and partner-nations.
The NTF-WPS reiterated that Bajo de Masinloc is an integral part of the Philippines and falls within the country’s maritime zones under international law, citing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea. /cb
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