The government has postponed plans to raise the Philippine flag in some of the disputed islands in the South China sea, military officials said Friday.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the military to build structures and raise the Philippine flag in South China Sea islands that belong to the country.

"Maaaring matuloy pa ang flag raising dito sa June 12 pero hindi na dadating dito si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte dahil sa mga sensitivities," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters.

Lorenzana, along with other high-ranking military officials, sailed to Pag-asa Island Friday morning to assess the living conditions of Filipinos residing in the disputed territory.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is about to set foot in Pag-Asa Island, West Philippine Sea. Weather permitting, that is. pic.twitter.com/s65pmiGDMW

— Chiara Zambrano (@chiarazambrano) April 20, 2017

Pag-asa Island, a small municipality with at least 40 residents, is only a few miles away from Subi Reef, one of the seven man-made islands constructed by China.

Pag-asa Island is already dwarfed by the sprawling city structures on Subi Reef, ABS-CBN reporter Chiara Zambrano said in a report on DZMM.

China has also been sending warnings to Philippine air crafts flying near the disputed territories, she said.

The Defense chief's visit came a day after reports of Chinese Coast Guard allegedly harassing Filipino fishermen in the disputed waters surfaced.