The government is fully aware that China has nearly completed construction work on three Philippine-claimed reefs in the South China Sea but cannot do anything about it, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said on Wednesday. Esperon, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the government had its own pictures of the Chinese construction work on Kagitingan, Zamora and Panganiban reefs. He said the pictures were taken by the AFP Western Command, whose jurisdiction includes the Kalayaan Group of Islands in the Spratly archipelago.

Avendaño, C. O. (2017, March 30). Esperon: PH can't stop China buildup on isles. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A2.