The Philippines has called on China to stop actions that endanger the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft, following the recent deployment of flares from the China-occupied Subi (Zamora) Reef in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reiterated its demand for the People’s Republic of China to “immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within Philippine territory and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).” The statement also emphasized the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
“These actions undermine regional peace and security and damage the image of the PRC in the international community,” the NTF-WPS added.
GMA Integrated News’ Joseph Morong reported that on Thursday, flares were fired at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft at least three times while it was flying near Zamora Reef. Morong shared a first-person account, noting that the flares were fired as the plane circled the artificial island.
The NTF-WPS confirmed the August 22 incident, stating that the flares were “unjustifiably deployed” from Zamora Reef while the BFAR aircraft was conducting a lawful maritime domain awareness flight. The flare deployment occurred near Pag-asa Island, where China has militarized an illegally reclaimed artificial island.
The task force explained that the BFAR aircraft, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, was coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to monitor and intercept poachers within the Philippines’ EEZ and the territorial waters of the Kalayaan Island Group. The NTF-WPS also reported a similar incident on August 19, where the same BFAR aircraft faced harassment from a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jet during a routine patrol near Bajo de Masinloc. The Chinese jet engaged in “irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers,” deploying flares within 15 meters of the BFAR aircraft.
The Philippines, according to the NTF-WPS, remains committed to asserting its rights and strengthening maritime domain awareness within its sovereign territory, national airspace, EEZ, and the high seas, in compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously stated that it took “countermeasures” against two Philippine military aircraft that it claimed entered its airspace near the Nansha Islands, including Subi Reef. Beijing described these actions as “professional, restrained, and standardized,” but did not specify the measures taken.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada condemned China’s actions, calling them “irresponsible” and a violation of international law. Estrada, who leads the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, urged China to cease its “unlawful and extreme actions” and called on the international community to hold China accountable for its “reckless actions.”