PCG: 10 navigational buoys in West PH Sea still there amid Chinese report

Job Manahan, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" Philippine Coast Guard handout " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/15/pcg-1.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Philippine Coast Guard handout </em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATE</strong>) — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday said all 10 of the navigational buoys it installed in areas of the West Philippine Sea were still there, amid a report from Chinese media that these were removed.</p><p>A Chinese online news outfit had reported that “all” the navigational buoys in the West Philippine Sea were “fished out” by Chinese fishermen who were guarded by their Coast Guards. </p><p>But PCG&#x27;s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said all of their 10 buoys were still in the West Philippine Sea. </p><p>&quot;The PCG&#x27;s 10 buoys, which were dropped in the West Philippines Sea, remain in their designated locations,&quot; he said in a text message.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/26/23/ph-monitoring-chinese-buoys-in-spratlys-official">PH monitoring Chinese buoys in Spratlys, will &#x27;avoid any physical confrontation&#x27;: Año</a></li></ul><p>Earlier in the day, PCG Spokesperson Armand Balilo told ABS-CBN News in an interview they were still verifying the state of the 2 buoys in Balagtas Reef (Irving Reef) and Julian Felipe Reef (Whitson Reef) since these are far from their nearest substation in Palawan. </p><p>He said when these buoys get removed from the West Philippine Sea, they would have to document it and inform the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea and the Department of Foreign Affairs for appropriate action. </p><p>Navigational buoys serve as the country’s sovereign markers in the South China Sea, within which is the smaller West Philippine Sea, said Balilo. </p><p>It also shows, he said, that the Philippines is the coastal administrator of that territory. </p><p>“It’s an aid to navigation…. Mahalagang nilagay natin ito doon dahil unang-una, malaking tulong ito sa mga mandaragat, sa mga marino, fishermen para magkaroon sila ng guide sa lugar, hindi sila mapahamak,” he said. </p><p>The PCG installed these in mid-May. China, in response, placed 3 beacons close to Balagtas Reef, Julian Felipe Reef, and Gaven Reef of the Spratly islands, which consists of many islets, reef banks and shoals, Reuters reported. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/05/15/23/pcg-crew-back-after-buoy-laying-ops-in-west-ph-sea">PCG crew back after buoy laying ops in West PH Sea</a></li></ul><p>Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.</p><p>The Philippines recently accused China of causing a near-crash with a coast guard ship and pointing a military-grade laser at another vessel.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2639046" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

PCG Spokesperson Armand Balilo told ABS-CBN News in an interview that 8 of the 10 buoys they recently installed in the disputed waters were still there as of Friday afternoon. 

PCG: 10 navigational buoys in West PH Sea still there amid Chinese report | ABS-CBN

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PCG: 10 navigational buoys in West PH Sea still there amid Chinese report

PCG: 10 navigational buoys in West PH Sea still there amid Chinese report

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 03, 2023 01:14 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 03, 2023 05:29 PM PHT

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Armand Balilo

Chinese buoys

buoys

West Philippine Sea

China

South China Sea

Philippine Coast Guard

PCG

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