The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported on Sunday the detection of two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels operating illegally within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), approximately 34 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan.
The vessels were identified using the PCG’s Dark Vessel Detection program, which tracks unregistered or non-communicative ships operating in Philippine waters. This detection marks another instance of rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
PCG Response and Radio Challenge
According to the PCG statement, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan ordered a BN-2 Islander aircraft to visually confirm and identify the vessels and initiate a radio challenge.
“At around 9:30 AM today, 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,” the statement read.
Deployment of Philippine Vessels
In response to the incursion, the PCG dispatched two of its 44-meter vessels, BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) and BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410), to Bolinao, Pangasinan to confront the Chinese ships and assert the Philippines’ territorial rights.
“These ships were dispatched to address the illegal presence of the China Coast Guard and reinforce the Philippine government’s position against the normalization of illegal patrols by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone,” the PCG emphasized.
Ongoing Tensions in the West Philippine Sea
The incident adds to the ongoing maritime tensions between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea, where multiple instances of Chinese incursions have been documented. The Philippine government continues to assert its sovereign rights within its EEZ, as established by the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which invalidated China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea.