THE National Task Force (NTF) for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) is looking into reports of a new structure in Bajo de Masinloc.
In a statement on Thursday, NTF-WPS spokesman Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the Philippine government is taking the reports seriously as it may affect the country’s “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the WPS.” “Relevant government agencies are currently undertaking verification and validation measures to establish the accuracy, nature, and circumstances surrounding these reports, utilizing available monitoring, surveillance, and operational assessment mechanisms,” Tarriela said.
While verification is ongoing, he called on the public to avoid speculation and instead rely on information released through official government channels.
“Further updates will be provided once the verification process has been completed and the facts have been firmly established,” he said.
He assured the public that the government remains “steadfast in protecting its national interests, defending its lawful maritime entitlements, and upholding the rules-based international order consistent with international law, particularly the 1982 Unclos and the 2016 Arbitral Award.” A second commercial satellite image has corroborated the presence of a previously reported object near the entrance of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), while also showing a feature consistent with a floating barrier across the lagoon entrance, according to US-based maritime transparency initiative SeaLight.
In an update released on Thursday, SeaLight said new satellite imagery captured by VantorTech through SkyFi on May 27, 2026, showed a small bright object at the same location where another commercial satellite image taken on May 28 had earlier detected an unidentified structure near the shoal's entrance.
The group said the latest image strengthens evidence that the object remained in place for at least two consecutive days, from May 27 to 28.
SeaLight first disclosed the existence of the object on June 1 after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. raised concerns over a structure near the entrance of the disputed shoal.
Sealight is an American nonprofit group that uses commercially available technology to monitor maritime “gray zone” activities such as harassment of fisherfolk, illegal incursions into state waters, intimidation tactics such as vessel swarming, outpost and artificial island building, and illegal or unregulated fishing.
