PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The Armed Forces of the Philippines said yesterday that its Western Command did not detect any debris falling into Philippine territory from China's launch of a satellite rocket last 26 December.

AFP WesCom spokesperson Ariel Joseph Coloma said no sightings of falling debris had been reported at Ayungin and Escoda shoals, Rozul Reef, or the town of Quezon in Palawan.

"Up to now, there haven't been any reports of debris in the drop zones within parts of the West Philippine Sea," Coloma said.

"We haven't observed anything yet, but we are keeping an eye out for it following an advisory from PhilSA (Philippine Space Agency)," he added.

The rocket, which was launched from Liangshan, Sichuan province, put into medium earth orbit two global positioning and navigation satellites, PhilSA said.

The drop zone for the rocket debris was calculated to be about 68 nautical miles from Rozul Reef and 116 nautical miles from Ayungin Shoal.

Eden Cascara, a disaster risk reduction and management officer in Quezon, said, "So far, there's none. Last night (Wednesday), I spoke with barangay captains and they reported no sightings."

A Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, and a pre-launch report were issued by PhilSA to authorities on the potential fallout from the rocket launch.

Despite the absence of any debris, PhilSA said it would continue to issue guidance on potential hazards, especially to maritime crafts in the debris drop zone. The agency warned against handling any debris, as it may contain hazardous substances like rocket fuel.