A “MONSTER” ship of the China Coast Guard (CCG) was seen in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, in the West Philippine Sea yesterday, a day after it was spotted and “challenged” by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) near Zambales.
Scarborough Shoal is about 124 nautical miles from Zambales. China gained control of the shoal in 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels, and has since prevented Filipinos from fishing inside the shoal’s lagoon.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore, said the PCG continues to monitor the movement of CCG vessel 5901 in the contested area.
“As we speak right now, the Chinese Coast Guard monster ship remains to be within the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc,” he said in a radio interview yesterday.
Tarriela, in a statement on Saturday night, said the Chinese vessel was detected through Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection some 54 nautical miles from Capones Island in Zambales, or well within the country’s 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The presence of the vessel was reported on Saturday by US maritime expert Raymond Powell, who said it was some 50 nautical miles from “main island of Luzon.” He said the vessel was conducting “intrusive patrol” to assert jurisdiction over the area.
Tarriela said the detection of the Chinese vessel prompted PCG commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan to dispatch PCG vessel BRP Cabra, along with a PCG helicopter and a PCG Caravan patrol aircraft “to verify the incursion and assert their presence.”
RADIO CHALLENGE
At around 5 p.m. also on Saturday, the PCG vessel and patrol aircraft confirmed the presence of the 12,000-ton Chinese vessel, known as “The Monster” which is the world’s largest coast guard vessel, Tarriela said.
“The PCG vessel and aircraft continuously challenged the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard, emphasizing that it was operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Law and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” he said.
During the radio challenge, a PCG officer told the Chinese they were inside the Philippines’ EEZ and subsequently asked them to “leave immediately.”
Tarriela said that as of 8 p.m. Saturday, the CCG vessel was some 85 nautical miles from Zambales, heading west.
“The PCG remains committed to closely monitoring this Chinese Coast Guard vessel to ensure that Filipino fishermen can operate safely and without harassment within our exclusive economic zone,” he said.
During the radio interview yesterday, Tarriela said: “It’s no longer as near as 54 nautical miles (from Zambales),” noting that that the Chinese vessel was already in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal.
Tarriela surmised the vessel went near Zambales to legitimize Chinese presence at Scarborough Shoal and to discourage Filipinos from fishing off Zambales.
“The main objective of our deployment is to challenge the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard at Bajo de Masinloc and to ensure they will not harass Filipino fishermen,” he said.
ENCROACHMENT
Tarriela stressed the presence of the Chinese vessel at Scarborough Shoal is illegal.
“They are actually encroaching within our exclusive economic zone. The mere fact that this is a public vessel, this is supposedly a law enforcement vessel of a country, it has no reason or right to operate in this area,” he said.
This was not the first time the CCG vessel was spotted in the West Philippine Sea.
The ship was seen numerous times in the area last year, including at Escoda Shoal or Sabina Shoal where China has conducted small-scale land reclamation.
Last Friday during joint New Year’s call of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr urged the DND and the AFP to remain steadfast in protecting national sovereignty and upholding humanitarian values.
Teodoro said they must “not allow the Philippines to be subjected to any distortions in narratives or momentum.”
“Every life is precious, and ‘no one left behind’ is our commitment, not only to our people but also to our international commitments,” said Teodoro.
During the traditional ceremony, Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr said the military will prioritize the implementation of the military’s modernization program this year.
Brawner said the military will also boost its capabilities and establish strong presence in strategic areas of the country.
“We will enhance our naval, aerial, ground, air defense, and cyber capabilities to protect our resources and ensure the security of our waters, always adhering to international law,” he said.
