Despite lacking naval vessels and aircraft, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin said that the military is still conducting naval and aerial surveillance missions on Panatag Shoals.
"Our monitoring of Panatag Shoal is still ongoing. Our naval and air assets are conducting surveillance missions there," Gazmin stressed.
The latter lies 124 nautical miles away from Zambales.
The presence of Filipino ships and aircraft off Panatag Shoals demonstrates Philippine sovereignty in the area, he added.
Panatag Shoal became a flashpoint of sorts last year when the Philippine Navy (PN) saw and intercepted a flotilla of Chinese fishing vessels poaching in the area.
This effort of the PN prompted the Chinese side to deploy their fisheries patrol ships, triggering a tense stand-off between the two nations.
Tension only abated when both sides agreed to withdrew its patrol vessels.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=516015
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