China removed its floating platform in Bajo de Masinloc after the Philippines protested its monitored presence since May, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reported on Wednesday.

The NTF-WPS confirmed the removal of the floating platform previously monitored within the lagoon of Bajo de Masinloc after the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) patrols and monitoring by Philippine authorities on Wednesday morning.

"While we take note of the removal, we reiterate our principled and unyielding position: Bajo de Masinloc is and will always be an integral part of Philippine territory," it stated.

"The Philippines has indivisible, incontrovertible and longstanding sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc exercised through its continuous, uninterrupted sovereignty and jurisdiction as demonstrated by detailed surveys, official government correspondences, cartographic records and consistent acts of administration that have gone uninterrupted for centuries," the task force added.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela reported based on the MDA flight conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Tuesday, one of the Chinese research vessel "Yue Zhan Yu Ke 6" inside the shoal was spotted while dismantling the floating platform which was also loaded into the ships stern.

"Today, the Philippine Coast Guard once again conducted an MDA flight using its PCG Cessna Caravan aircraft. It was noted that the platform is no longer present in the shoal, and the Chinese Research Vessel Yue Zhan Yu Ke 6 — which towed the platform last Monday and loaded its dismantled components yesterday — is no longer in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc," he said.

"Remaining inside the shoal was the other, smaller research vessel, Yue

Xia Yu Zhi 20028," he added.

The NTF-WPS also reiterated that "only the Philippines has the right to place or construct structures and conduct activities, including marine scientific research, in Bajo de Masinloc and its territorial sea."

"The NTF WPS, through the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and other relevant agencies will continue to conduct regular maritime patrols, maritime domain awareness operations, and lawful presence activities in and around Bajo de Masinloc," it added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs previously announced that demarche and diplomatic protests were filed against China since the floating platform was first spotted in the previous month.

Despite the removal of the floating platform, the NTF-WPS also demand that "all foreign entities abide by international law and cease actions that infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction."

"The Philippines remains fully committed to protecting its territorial integrity, upholding the rules-based international order, and defending its legitimate

entitlements," he added. Robina Asido/PHS