Coast Guard: All buoys in West Philippine Sea still there
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday said navigational buoys it had placed in waters off Balagtas (Irving) Reef and Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef are still there despite reports that they had been removed by Chinese vessels.
Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said the two were “still in their original positions” in a Twitter update.
The two navigational buoys are among 10 that the installed in the West Philippine Sea as a statement to demonstrate sovereignty.
“The PCG’s successful mission in Palawan is a reminder of its unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Philippine waters,” Tarriela said of efforts to verify that the buoys were still there.
“The PCG commandant, CG Admiral Artemio Abu, assures the public that the PCG will continuously safeguard our territorial sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
Today, the @coastguardph deployed the PCG Cessna Caravan 2081 in Palawan to carry out an MDA flight. Following the operation, it was confirmed that the two navigational buoys in Balagtas and Julian Felipe Reefs, which had been previously reported as removed, were still in their… pic.twitter.com/F2NXyMRQ8M
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) June 6, 2023
The PCG over the weekend said it was not able to immediately validate reports of the buoys’ location due to inclement weather.
The buoys at Julian Felipe Reef and Balagtas Reef were placed by the PCG last month, along with three others in “critical areas” in the West Philippine Sea.
Three other buoys were placed in Patag (Flat) Island, Kota (Loaita) Island, and Panata Island (Lankiam Cay).
The Philippines also put buoys off Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Likas (West York) Island, Parola Island (Northeast Cay), and Pag-asa (Thitu) Island last year. – Kaycee Valmonte
- Latest
- Trending
