ABOARD BRP GABRIELA SILANG, Manila – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has increased its presence in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) as suspicions arose that China is pushing through with its plan to establish a national nature reserve in the disputed feature.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan hinted about possible reclamation activities by China during a recent engagement with the media aboard this ship.

“It’s possible,” Gavan said. “I don’t want to… There are things that only the National Maritime Council can answer,” he added, without giving further details.

Last month, China announced its plan to establish the “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve,” referring to the Chinese name it calls Bajo de Masinloc, which is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales.

Gavan reiterated the PCG’s commitment to maintain a “persistent presence” in Bajo de Masinloc to guard against any Chinese reclamation.

“The Coast Guard’s commitment to maintain a persistent presence at Scarborough Shoal has always been there. We will not abandon it. So if there are changes in the information we receive, it’s just part of the factors that we have to manage. But regardless, we will [guard it],” he said.

The Coast Guard chief further stated that PCG has been successful in ensuring that Filipino fishermen can still cast their nets at the disputed feature.

“In so far as the PCG is concerned, we’ve been able to secure, we’ve been able to protect, we’ve been able to render assistance to the fishermen to sustain their activities at Bajo de Masinloc,” he noted.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was also closely watching China's plans for a reserve, warning that it could be a pretext for an occupation.

"We are watching what China is doing in Scarborough," AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP). He recalled that in 1995, China built a small structure in Panganiban (Mischief) Reef which they called a fisherman's haven that was later turned into a militarized artificial island equipped with missile and radar systems, and an airfield that can accommodate jet fighters and big aircraft.

"We do not want that to happen to Scarborough Shoal. Hindi po tayo papayag na mangyari iyon (We won't allow that to happen). That's why we are closely watching. Once they build a structure there, that would be a different story. We have several options that we could do,"  Brawner said, saying such options include filing a diplomatic protest.

Relatedly, the PCG also denounced the recent ceremonial flag-raising conducted by the China Coast Guard at Bajo de Masinloc, describing it as part of Beijing’s continuing unlawful activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela cited the 2016 Arbitral Award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which ruled that China’s claims of historic rights over the feature “had no legal basis.”

“The Award further affirmed that Bajo de Masinloc is a rock under Article 121(3) of UNCLOS and, therefore, does not generate an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of its own. Accordingly, the waters surrounding the shoal, beyond its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, lie entirely within the Philippines’ EEZ, measured from Luzon’s baseline,” he said.

Tarriela also mentioned the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) opposition to the planned nature reserve at Bajo de Masinloc, stating that Beijing’s action “clearly infringes upon the Philippines’ rights and interests under international law, including UNCLOS and the 2016 Award.”

“The DFA reiterated that Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of Philippine territory, over which the country exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction. Declarations of this nature are misleading and serve as pretexts for asserting control, rather than genuine efforts to conserve or protect the marine environment,” he said.

As this developed, the National Security Council (NSC) hailed on Friday, Oct. 3, the passage of a bipartisan resolution in the United States Senate reaffirming the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and condemning China’s repeated acts of aggression in the WPS, calling it a powerful demonstration of international support for Manila’s sovereign rights.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año said Senate Resolution No. 049, introduced by Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska and co-sponsored by 11 other lawmakers across party lines, represented “strong and unequivocal language” that reaffirmed the 74-year-old defense pact and recognized that any armed attack against Philippine forces, vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would fall under the scope of the MDT.

“This strong and unequivocal language of the Senate Resolution sends a clear signal that the world is watching and the Philippines is not alone,” Año stressed.

He further noted that the resolution underscored the enduring strength of the two countries’ alliance and the resolve to stand together against “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive” (ICAD) actions.

The NSA’s statement came as Manila continued to face heightened maritime tensions with Beijing. In recent months, the government has protested repeated incidents of harassment against PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels, as well as ordinary fishermen such as water cannon assaults at Ayungin Shoal to dangerous ship maneuvers near Bajo de Masinloc , and even the symbolic planting of a Chinese flag on Sandy Cay, two miles from Pag-asa Island.

Año said the resolution’s provisions, including its call for expanded US joint patrols, training, cyber operations, and defense modernization support, were crucial in deterring further escalation and maintaining freedom of navigation in the region.

“In the face of continued harassment, blockades, and dangerous maneuvers against Philippine public vessels and fishermen in our own waters, we welcome the resolution's call for the US to take appropriate and necessary actions to counter Chinese escalation,” Año added.

The MDT, signed in 1951, remains the cornerstone of the Philippines-US defense relations. Over the decades, it has been reinforced by subsequent agreements including the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which Manila expanded in 2023 to allow access to four additional sites on top of five previously agreed defense locations.