THE Philippine Coast Guard yesterday said it detected the movement of two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels some 34 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan on Sunday morning through its Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) program.
In a report, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Galvan said that upon receipt of the information, he immediately instructed the deployment of the PCG islander aircraft to “visually identify” the CCG vessels and initiate a radio challenge.
“At around 9:30 a.m. today (Feb. 2), the PCG aircraft confirmed the illegal presence of the China Coast Guard vessels identified by bow numbers 3301 and 3104. Notably, the CCG vessels did not respond to the radio challenge issued by the PCG,” Galvan said.
He said two PCG vessels – the BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) and BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) – were dispatched to Bolinao, Pangasinan to address the illegal presence of the two CCG boats.
Galvan said the PCG vessels – both 44-meter ships – will reinforce the country’s position on the “normalization” of the illegal patrols by China within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“As it fulfills its patriotic duty, the PCG will uphold professionalism and vigilance to prevent any escalation of tensions,” he added.
The PCG’s BRP Teresa Magbanua drove away the CCG vessel with bow number 3304 which had been lingering near the coastline of Zambales on Saturday.
However, CCG-3304 was replaced by CCG-5901 referred to as the “monster ship.”
“Despite this, the PCG is effectively maintaining a distance of approximately 110 to 115 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales,” said PCG Commander Jay Tarriela.
“The crew aboard BRP Teresa Magbanua demonstrated remarkable courage and resolve, remaining undeterred by the presence of the massive CCG-5901. The PCG has consistently asserted that the actions of the China Coast Guard are illegal and in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which China is a signatory,” he added.