The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday dismissed concerns of new construction at Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), saying recently observed structures are not new developments but debris present for over a decade. Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said during a forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute that satellite imagery indicates the structures have been in place since at least 2010, two years before the 2012 standoff that led to China’s control of the shoal. “This is not something new,” Tarriela said. “This might just be debris from an earlier plan to construct something there.”

Kabagani, L. J. (2025, October 17). Bajo de Masinloc structures not new, says Tarriela. Daily Tribune, p. A3.