The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday stated all the 10 buoys it put in within the West Philippine Sea (WPS) territory final month have been accounted for.
PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela made the affirmation amid experiences that Chinese fishermen eliminated the buoys positioned by the Philippines within the space to function “sovereign markers.”
“We now have a visual of our two buoys na sinasabing pinutol ng Chinese fishermen sa Balagtas Reef at sa Julian Felipe Reef [that are said to have been severed by Chinese fishermen in Balagtas Reef and Julian Felipe Reef],” Tarriela stated in a Dobol B TV interview.
“Hindi nawawala ang boya natin [our buoys are not missing]. All of these are accounted,” he added.
In a Facebook put up, the PCG stated it deployed the Cessna Caravan 2081 in Palawan on Tuesday to hold out a Maritime Domain Awareness (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 original positions,” it stated.
Tarriela stated PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu on Wednesday morning directed an offshore patrol vessel to conduct a maritime patrol within the WPS to verify on and preserve all the 10 buoys.
Amid the continued presence of Chinese vessels within the WPS, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año earlier stated the set up of the buoys within the WPS was an act of a sovereign nation and pursuant to Philippine obligations below worldwide legislation. —KBK, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
