Five 30-foot navigational buoys bearing Philippine flags were installed by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) from May 10 to 12, 2023 in the Philippine-occupied islands of Patag (Flat), Kota (Loaita), Panata (Lankiam Cay), and the fishing grounds of Balagtas (Irving) Reef and Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef. (Photo from the PCG)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is verifying the status of two of five navigational buoys it installed last month in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) after Chinese media reported them missing.
PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armand Balilo said the agency could not yet confirm if the buoys were no longer there, amid reports that these were removed by fishermen sent by the Chinese Coast Guard.
Citing the Coast Guard District-Palawan based in Puerto Princesa City, Balilo said that of the 10 markers so far placed in waters off the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) since last year, eight remained “intact” in their designated areas within the country’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.
“But two of them, those we put in Balagtas (Irving) Reef and Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef, we could not confirm their presence. We could not detect them. They are subject to validation,” he told reporters in Manila on Saturday.
Asked about their removal as reported by Chinese media, he said: “We have not received reports about that. We first need to check the status of the buoys if they were really missing. Maybe they were just there [near the waters where they were dropped].”
“Once the weather there improves, we will send a ship to verify the status of the buoys,” Balilo also said, adding that the positions of the two buoys were far from the nearest PCG substations in the KIG.
But Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, maintained his earlier pronouncement on Friday that all 10 buoys were accounted for.
Chinese news agencies reported that day that Chinese fisherfolk had removed the buoys.
“Under the protection of Chinese coast guard boats, Chinese fishermen fished out all the buoys deployed by the Philippines, which made the Philippine coast guard feel angry and helpless,” said one such report by Beijing-based Sohu.com.
‘Sovereign jurisdiction’
Tarriela, in his text message on Saturday, said: “The PCG’s 10 buoys, which were dropped in the West Philippine Sea, remain in their designated locations.”
The two buoys were among the five 30-foot markers that the PCG installed on May 10 to May 12.
Three other markers were dropped by PCG’s Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan in waters near the Philippine-occupied islands of Patag (Flat), Kota (Loaita), and Panata (Lankiam Cay), which are all under the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan province.
“The installation of these buoys, adorned with the Philippine flag, signifies the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone,” Tarriela said at that time.
“This move highlights the Philippines’ unwavering resolve to protect its maritime borders and resources and contribute to the safety of maritime trade,” he added.