MANILA — The Philippine government is studying the possibility of filing a second arbitration case against China over the continued presence of Chinese assets in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a maritime expert said.

In a report, it said that maritime expert Jay Batongbacal noted that authorities are exploring further legal options to bring China before an international tribunal.

“Pinag-aaralan din po, alam ko, natin at ng mga ahensya kung ano pang paraan para pwede silang madala sa isang tribunal,” Batongbacal said in a report by Jonathan Andal on “24 Oras Weekend.”

“If you are going to pursue an international case, you better be sure that you can win it, which is what we did in the first arbitration case,” he added.

Batongbacal made the remarks after reports that a Chinese floating platform, buoy, and antenna were monitored at Bajo de Masinloc for about two weeks.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, said the floating platform remained inside the shoal as of the latest monitoring.

“As of yesterday, the movable floating platform remains inside the shoal. It just moved to the northernmost part of the shoal,” Tarriela said.

He added that two Chinese research vessels are also still present in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, also known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, which lies about 119 nautical miles off Zambales and around 500 nautical miles from Hainan, China.

China has maintained its claim over the shoal, which it calls Huangyan Island, saying its activities there are for scientific research.

Batongbacal said China has previously used similar claims in other areas of the West Philippine Sea before eventually developing them into artificial islands.

“’Yun ngang nangyari sa Mischief Reef o Panganiban Reef na noong 1992 ay nakita nga rin natin na tinayuan nila ng estruktura,” he said.

“Noong una ay sabi nila civilian fishermen shelter lang iyon daw, pero alam natin na after several decades, ngayon ay iyon ang pinakamalaking base militar ng Tsina sa ating West Philippine Sea,” he added.

He said marine scientific research in Philippine waters requires a permit from the Philippine government, and non-compliant structures may be subject to confiscation, although the Philippine Coast Guard declined to comment on enforcement plans, citing operational sensitivity.

The Philippine Navy also warned of what it described as a “creeping invasion” by China affecting not only maritime areas but also the country’s territory, economy, politics, and intelligence security.

“Bago tayo umabot sa physical invasion, may mga invasion nang ginawa sa atin through subtle means,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

Batongbacal added that authorities are also monitoring reports of increasing sales of beach properties in Palawan facing the West Philippine Sea, with similar trends observed in other parts of Luzon.