Structure spotted in Panatag already there in 2010–PCG
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday said the structure recently spotted in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal during a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight was already present as early as 2010, based on historical satellite images.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the structure seen inside the shoal was not built recently.
“We are now retrieving images from way back that [show] it has been there [for some time]. So this is not something new,” Tarriela told reporters on the sidelines of a Stratbase ADR Institute forum in Makati City. He added that the structure may be a leftover from a previous attempt to build something in the shoal.
The structure was spotted on Tuesday during one of the PCG’s MDA flights amid China’s continued assertion of control over the shoal and other areas in the West Philippine Sea.
Panatag, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, is located about 120 nautical miles west of Zambales. It is a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishers and lies well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Tarriela said the PCG is still validating the purpose of the structure, with any action regarding its removal to be decided by higher authorities.
“That will still be decided by the National Maritime Council and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “It’s already more than enough, based on 2010 satellite images, to know that the structure has been there.”
More discoveries
The PCG’s latest MDA flight over the shoal also led to two notable discoveries, Tarriela said. A second floating buoy was found to have been installed by Chinese forces at the northern part of the shoal, while the floating barrier previously set up inside the shoal has been removed by the China Coast Guard.
Earlier this week, the Philippine Navy also reported seeing floating barriers near the shoal during a maritime inspection. Its West Philippine Sea spokesperson, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said they were likewise verifying reports of possible underwater structures in the area.
“This strengthens our argument that they only place those floating barriers when there is a high number of Filipino fishermen and government vessels in the area,” Tarriela said. “The moment the number of Filipino fishing boats diminished, they removed these.”
He stressed that the installation of buoys by China inside the shoal is illegal.
“Those two floating buoys are already a violation because they do not have legal authority to install them in Bajo de Masinloc,” Tarriela said.
He did not confirm if the Philippine government plans to remove the buoys, saying such actions fall under operational matters.
