PCG: No buoys reported missing in West Philippine Sea territory

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Sunday that they did not receive any reports that the buoys they placed in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) were missing.

PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview that the last report they got was that all the buoys they installed in the WPS last month as sovereign markers and for navigational safety were “intact.”

“Wala kaming report na may nawawala sa pinaglalagay namin. Intact ‘yun at nasa kanilang designated na places,” he said.

(We have no reports of any buoys missing. They are intact and in their designated places.)

“It's early to tell kung may nawala talaga sapagkat ‘yung last report naman ay intact silang lahat. Hindi ko alam kung saan nagsimula itong may nawalang boya,” he added.

(It's too early to tell if any buoy is missing because the last report was that they were all intact. I don't know where these reports of missing buoys started.)

Balilo reiterated that the PCG was confident that eight of the buoys were still there, though they have to check on the buoys at the Balagtas Reef and Julian Felipe Reef.

In case any of the buoys were indeed lost, he said the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea and the Department of Foreign Affairs would be informed.

“Sturdy ‘yan. Mayroon 'yang mga pampabigat at hindi basta basta ‘yan inaanod,” Balilo explained.

(The buoys are sturdy. They have weights and they don't just drift right away.)

Amid the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the WPS, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año earlier said the installation of the buoys in the WPS was an act of a sovereign nation and pursuant to Philippine obligations under international law.

After the Philippines installed the markers, China's Transport Ministry said its South China Sea maritime security center also placed three beacons close to Irving Reef (Balagtas Reef), Whitsun Reef (Julian Felipe Reef), and Gaven Reefs (Burgos Reefs) in the Spratly Islands, which is composed of islets, reef banks, and shoals. — DVM, GMA Integrated News