A floating platform, an unmistakable playbook of aggression

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PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

In late May, the Philippines, through the Department of Defense, observed a floating platform being regularly moved by Chinese personnel in the area of Bajo de Masinloc, or Panatag Shoal. The shoal is only 120 nautical miles from Subic, Zambales.

The Philippine Coast Guard also reported that six Chinese nationals were seen on the deck of the platform on May 30. By the following day, the platform had moved from the entrance into the shoal, supported by two service boats.

As of June 13, or two weeks later, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, through its spokesperson Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, reported the platform was still there. “It just went up the northernmost part of the shoal,” he said.

A platform placed inside Bajo de Masinloc is not a harmless object floating at sea. The National Maritime Council said China appears to be using the movable platform to gather maritime data without Philippine consent.

The discovery caused alarm that China was building a military base right within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. This is even more threatening when viewed as part of the larger pattern of China’s long-running activities in the West Philippine Sea.

The platform may serve as another instrument to monitor the area, gather maritime data, normalize Chinese presence, and strengthen Beijing’s ability to control access to the shoal. Even if no dredging or reclamation has been confirmed so far, the platform should not be treated as an ordinary maritime incident.

Experts recognize that China’s usual move is to cite “maritime research” as an excuse to encroach into and illegally occupy what has been established as Philippine territory.

Indeed, the presence of the movable/floating platform is the latest reminder that the West Philippine Sea remains at the center of China’s efforts to challenge Philippine rights and test our national resolve.

Bajo de Masinloc has long been one of the most visible flashpoints in the West Philippine Sea. Filipino fisherfolk have repeatedly faced intimidation, obstruction, and restrictions in waters that are part of their traditional fishing grounds. Philippine vessels conducting patrols, supply missions, and maritime domain awareness activities have been subjected to shadowing, blocking maneuvers, water cannon attacks, dangerous approaches, and harassment by Chinese maritime forces.

It is important to note that this pattern is not limited to physical presence at sea. China has also sought to assert control through administrative and legal maneuvers. Last year, Beijing unilaterally declared a so-called “nature reserve” at Bajo de Masinloc, covering part of the shoal despite its location within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. China presented the move as an environmental measure, but it cannot be separated from its broader strategy of consolidating control over areas it claims as its own.

Taken together, all these activities — China’s movable platform, coercive maritime operations, and unilateral “nature reserve” declaration — show a clear disrespect for international law. The Philippines must reject this pattern in all its forms. It cannot allow China to normalize unauthorized structures, coercive maritime operations, or unilateral administrative declarations in areas where the Philippines has lawful rights. Each unchallenged action creates space for the next. Each act of silence or hesitation risks being used by China to strengthen its false narrative of control.

10^TH ANNIVERSARY
Next month, specifically on July 12, we will mark the 10^th anniversary of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) rejecting China’s claims of its nine-dash line on the West Philippine Sea.

Filipinos are aware of this legal victory and want to see it actually enforced. A Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the Stratbase Group found that 86% of Filipinos agree that the Philippines should work with like-minded nations to defend its rights in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with the 2016 arbitral award.

This survey sends a strong message to the government that the Philippines must not only invoke the arbitral award; it must be prepared to defend the rights that the award affirmed. The country’s legal victory remains a powerful foundation, but international law cannot defend itself. In the face of China’s continued gray-zone activities, unauthorized structures, maritime harassment, and unilateral administrative actions, the Philippines must ensure that its legal position is backed by credible capability.

Filipinos are much too aware of China’s moves that are inconsistent with the PCA ruling and with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. And the people demand action.

Specifically, defending the award therefore requires a robust and effective defense posture. The government must accelerate the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard. This should include continuing and expanding maritime domain awareness operations to better detect, document, and expose coercive activities in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines must also deepen joint exercises, maritime cooperative activities, and capacity-building efforts with like-minded states to strengthen interoperability and credible deterrence.

The Filipino people are asking the government to stand firm and work with like-minded partners. The task now is to ensure that these rights are protected by the capabilities, partnerships, and political will needed to defend them.

Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the president of the Stratbase ADR Institute.