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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Floating platform no longer at Bajo de Masinloc, task force says

Floating platform no longer at Bajo de Masinloc, task force says

Published Jun 17, 2026 01:46 pm

At A Glance

  • The floating platform was first detected on May 25.
  • The Philippine government immediately lodged a formal diplomatic protest against its presence soon after its presence in the area was confirmed.
Photo shows the movable floating platform deployed by China in Bajo de Masinloc, West Philippine Sea. (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)
Photo shows the movable floating platform deployed by China in Bajo de Masinloc, West Philippine Sea. (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard)
The floating platform that was monitored within the lagoon of Bajo de Masinloc last month was already removed, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea disclosed on Wednesday, June 17.
The floating platform was first detected on May 25, or four days after the Philippine Coast Guard detected the presence of two Chinese research vessels near the southeastern entrance of the shoal.
The Philippine government immediately lodged a formal diplomatic protest against its presence soon after its presence in the area was confirmed first by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and later the PCG.
Concerns on the presence of the floating platform were immediately raised, with some local security officials raising the possibility of militarization based on the structures built by China in various parts of the South China Sea.
By Wednesday morning, June 17, the floating platform was no longer in the area based on the report of latest Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) patrols and monitoring conducted.
The NTF-WPS, however, emphasized that Bajo de Masinloc is well within the country’s exclusive economic zone and emphasized that only the Philippines has the right to place or construct structures and conduct activities, including marine scientific research.
“While we take note of the removal, we reiterate our principled and unyielding position: Bajo de Masinloc is and will always be an integral part of Philippine territory,” the NTF-WPS statement read.
“The Philippines has indivisible, incontrovertible and longstanding sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc exercised through its continuous, uninterrupted sovereignty and jurisdiction as demonstrated by detailed surveys, official government correspondences, cartographic records and consistent acts of administration that have gone uninterrupted for centuries,” it added.
It said the Philippine government will continue to conduct regular maritime patrols, maritime domain awareness operations, and lawful presence activities in and around Bajo de Masinloc through the Armed Forces of the Philippines, BFAR and PCG.
“We demand that all foreign entities abide by international law and cease actions that infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction,” it said.
“The Philippines remains fully committed to protecting its territorial integrity, upholding the rules-based international order, and defending its legitimate
entitlements,” the NTF-WPS pointed out.
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