MANILA — A senior Philippine Navy (PN) official dismissed claims that China has constructed a military base on Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“We have not monitored any construction on Scarborough Shoal except for the presence of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy, the Chinese Coast Guard, and the Maritime Militia,” PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Trinidad clarified that the Chinese vessels were detected “around Scarborough” and not on the shoal itself. On reports alleging the deployment of missiles at the shoal, he said these weapons could be aboard Chinese ships rather than stationed on land.

“It is safe to assume that warships would have been armed with different missiles. So missiles aboard warships could also be the same—not inside the shoal but on board the ships,” Trinidad explained.

He also reported the Navy’s monitoring of four major features in the WPS from February 15 to 22, recording a total of 18 Chinese vessels:

• Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal): 4 PLA ships, 5 CCG ships
• Ayungin Shoal: 4 CCG vessels
• Escoda Shoal: 2 PLA, 1 CCG
• Pag-asa Island: 1 PLA, 1 CCG

While these figures are lower than previous counts, Trinidad stressed that China’s continued presence in the Philippine exclusive economic zone remains illegal.