AFP wary of Chinese research activity in Bajo de Masinloc
Published Jun 16, 2026 03:01 pm
At A Glance
- The Armed Forces of the Philippines said it was closely tracking a movable Chinese floating platform spotted near Bajo de Masinloc, citing potential military implications behind its presence.
- The military warned that marine research data collected in the area could be repurposed for military advantage or to support long-term plans for artificial island construction.
- While the military maintains that it is too early to speculate on the platform's ultimate purpose, officials said they were conducting a thorough investigation to guide the government's next moves in the West Philippine Sea.
Photo shows the movable floating platform deployed by China in Bajo de Masinloc, West Philippine Sea. (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)
Any marine research activity near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) could have military implications, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Tuesday, June 16, as it continues to monitor a Chinese floating platform spotted in the area.
AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said information gathered from marine surveys may be used for purposes beyond scientific research.
“Any marine research conducted could provide information, an advantage information for one particular mission. So all of these can be used either for economic, for the environmental, and even for military purposes,” Trinidad said.
Last week, the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) confirmed the presence of a movable, floating platform in Bajo de Masinloc.
The shoal is approximately 124 nautical miles from Palauig, Zambales – well within the country’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and 500 nautical miles from Hainan, southernmost province of China.
China seized effective control of the resource-rich fishing ground after a standoff with Philippine vessels in 2012. Four years later, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China's expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis and declared Bajo de Masinloc a traditional fishing ground for several nations.
Maritime experts and security analysts have also warned that the floating platform could be used by China for data gathering, which in turn could be part of a long-term effort to establish an artificial island on the disputed feature.
But for Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Capt. Marissa Martinez, she said it was too early to conclude.
“It's very hard to speculate already as of now. That's why your Armed Forces is continuing monitoring it because we are of course studying it properly, investigating on it, on the movements and the activities there,” she said.
“The data or whatever activities they are conducting there would definitely lead to the actions your Armed Forces, to include the task force in charge of the West Philippine Sea, which is Task Force WPS, would do in relation to what would be found out on the activities that are being conducted,” she continued.