Statement Condemning China's Floating Installation at Scarborough Shoal
Rep. Leila M. de Lima
13 June 2026
I strongly condemn the deployment by the People's Republic of China of a floating structure within the waters of Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc/Panatag Shoal), an area that lies well within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone and over which the Philippines enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction under international law.
Philippine authorities have determined that the structure is a manned floating platform equipped with communications or monitoring equipment and is believed to be engaged in maritime research and data-gathering activities without the authorization or consent of the Philippine Government.
While Chinese authorities have attempted to characterize the platform as a scientific or environmental monitoring facility, its presence constitutes yet another unauthorized intrusion into Philippine maritime zones and a direct affront to Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights.
The Filipino people have every reason to view this latest development with grave concern. China's actions in the South China Sea have long followed a familiar and deeply troubling pattern. What begins as a seemingly innocuous civilian presence, a temporary structure, a fishing encampment, or a research activity often evolves into a sustained occupation, followed by the construction of permanent facilities, extensive land reclamation, military fortifications, and the assertion of unlawful control over our sovereign maritime features.
The world has witnessed this pattern before. Features that once consisted of small outposts or temporary installations were gradually transformed into heavily fortified artificial islands equipped with airstrips, ports, radar systems, missile facilities, and military garrisons. The international community was repeatedly assured that such activities were peaceful and limited in scope, only to see those assurances overtaken by the reality of militarization and effective occupation.
It is therefore neither alarmist nor speculative to question the true purpose and long-term implications of this newly deployed floating platform. Prudence requires us to evaluate China's actions not merely by its official statements but by its established conduct over the past decade. The deployment of monitoring equipment and the collection of maritime data within Philippine waters may well be intended to support future efforts to consolidate control over Scarborough Shoal and further restrict the lawful rights of Filipino fishermen and maritime authorities.
This latest incursion likewise demonstrates China's continuing disregard for the 2016 Arbitral Award, which unequivocally invalidated the legal basis of its expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. No amount of floating structures, artificial installations, or unilateral actions can create rights where none exist under international law.
We therefore call upon China to immediately remove the floating platform from Scarborough Shoal, cease all unauthorized activities within Philippine maritime zones, and comply with its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the binding arbitral ruling.
We further call upon our partners in the international community to remain vigilant against incremental actions designed to alter the status quo through coercion and faits accomplis. Respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes remain essential to regional peace and stability.
Scarborough Shoal is not merely a disputed maritime feature. It is a symbol of our nation's sovereign rights, our fishermen's livelihood, and our commitment to a rules-based international order. The Philippines must stand firm against any attempt to normalize unlawful encroachments and must remain resolute in defending the West Philippine Sea for present and future generations of Filipinos.