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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
May 31, 2026 | 12:00am
A Philippine fishing boat is shadowed by the Chinese Coast Guard near Panatag or Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on Friday. Below, a 300-meter-long floating barrier installed by China prevents Filipino fishermen from entering the resource-rich fishing ground.
Michael Varcas
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. confirmed yesterday that the Philippines has received “raw information” indicating that China has built structures in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc, in the West Philippine Sea.
Teodoro said the reports are being verified and assured the public that the area remains under close monitoring by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) amid reports of increased Chinese military and coast guard activity around the shoal.
“There is raw information and, as I have always said, Bajo de Masinloc is a dynamic area. So even if the developments are still small, these are already being monitored,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Earlier this week, the AFP reported that Chinese military and coast guard vessels maintaining a presence in the WPS appeared to be converging on Panatag Shoal over the past several weeks.
Latest AFP monitoring showed 36 Chinese vessels operating in four key areas of the WPS from May 19 to 25. Of the total, 19 vessels, composed of 10 People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and nine China Coast Guard vessels, were monitored near Panatag Shoal.
The remaining vessels were spotted near Ayungin Shoal, Escoda Shoal and Pag-asa Island.
AFP spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, retired rear admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said the sustained presence of Chinese vessels near Panatag is part of Beijing’s strategy.
“The presence in Bajo de Masinloc is there to normalize the situation as they have already declared a nature reserve,” Trinidad said.
“These are all illegal statements, these are false narratives which we have been pushing back against. Rest assured, the AFP will continue monitoring the situation and performing our actions of patrolling the seas and flying the skies,” he added.
Trinidad noted that China has maintained a presence in four WPS features over the past three weeks, particularly around Panatag Shoal.
“In the past, last week it was 27, the other week I think 35. We do not speculate on their presence, why they are there. What is important is that their presence is still illegal,” he stressed.
Despite being outnumbered, the AFP said it would continue pushing back against China’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities in the area.
Asked whether the Philippines and China could eventually overcome their differences, Teodoro said the issue lies not with the Chinese people but with their government.
“We do not have a problem with the Chinese people. The problem is their government because it operates by its own rules and does not accept the voice of the international community. That is why many people find it difficult to trust them,” said Teodoro.
“It is something we should aspire to – a day when deterrence may no longer be necessary. But because we can never be certain when deterrence will be needed, we must not neglect it. Hopefully, the day will come when they have a government that is sincere toward others and can be trusted. Right now, that is not the case,” he added.
