The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has deployed air and naval assets to locate possible debris from a Chinese rocket launch that may have fallen within the country’s maritime domain.

The Western Command (Wescom) mobilized two rotary aircraft from the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and Philippine Navy (PN) and one vessel from the Western Naval Command for the search operation that began on Tuesday, Aug. 5.

The search area was established in the vicinity of Sulu Sea, specifically between the east coast of mainland Palawan and Tubbataha.

“So far, there have been no official reports of debris sighting. This morning, I was informed that air assets were again deployed to look for possible debris. The operation is ongoing,” Wescom spokesperson Colonel Nep Padua said on Wednesday, Aug. 6.

Even the fisherfolk in the area have yet to report any sighting.

Padua advised the residents to immediately inform the authorities if they have seen possible rocket debris as it could be dangerous to retrieve without protective equipment.

“It might contain hazardous materials such as rocket fuel that’s why fishermen or residents are prohibited to have contact with the debris,” he said.

Padua did not specify how long the search operation would continue.

“I presume that it will be conducted until such time we find debris or it is already impractical to continue the search,” he said.

Meanwhile, Padua said the troops are on high alert as he mentioned an incident in 2022 when China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel forcibly took custody of the rocket debris that the Wescom retrieved off Pag-asa Island in Palawan.

“There was an instance before that we found a suspicious object floating off Palawan. We retrieved it but as the troops were towing the object, the Chinese coast guard cut the rope we attached to it and sped off aboard their rubber boats,” he recalled.

Earlier, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that a series of loud explosions were heard by residents in Palawan on Monday night, triggering panic among them. A visible condensation trail was then observed in the sky by the residents. The PCG said these were connected to the rocket launch performed by China.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) launched its Long March 12 rocket at the Hainan International Commercial Launch Center in Wenchang, Hainan between 6:14 p.m. to 6:42 p.m. on Monday to deploy low-orbit satellites.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said parts of the rocket were expected to drop within two identified drop zones located approximately 21 nautical miles away from Puerto Princesa, Palawan and 18 nautical miles away from Tubbataha Reef Natural Park.