FILE PHOTO: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed the presence of a minimum of 30 suspected Chinese language maritime militia (CMM) vessels in Sabina and Ayungin Shoal within the West Philippines Sea.(Picture courtesy of PCG)
Chinese language ships, together with a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, have once more blocked Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels close to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, the place the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded since 1999.
American maritime knowledgeable Ray Powell on Saturday stated the CCG vessel with bow quantity 5203 and two Chinese language maritime militia ships moved to dam entry to Ayungin Shoal as PCG vessels BRP Cabra and Sindangan handed south of Ayungin Shoal and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef on Friday night time.
In a message to the Inquirer, Powell stated the PCG vessels, “didn’t strategy the BRP Sierra Madre.”
“They handed by the [Ayungin] shoal and continued north,” he stated.
The PCG has but to challenge an announcement on the incident.
On Feb. 2, the Philippines held a profitable resupply mission to troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. It was the primary for 2024 within the stated underwater function about 195 kilometers off Palawan province.
President’s directive
A PCG official, in the meantime, careworn the rotational deployment of the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Sources (BFAR) within the West Philippine Sea was ordered by President Marcos himself, meant to guard Filipino fisherfolk and meals safety and to not provoke or worsen tensions.
“The target of the President is to make it possible for authorities vessels will see to it that Filipino fishermen are in a position to fish right here to help our meals safety,” stated Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.
He added, “Our goal is to not provoke anyone, to not escalate the strain in Bajo de Masinloc. Our goal right here is to guard the Filipino fishermen, to make it possible for Filipino fishermen can fish there.”
Tarriela made the remarks on the Saturday Information Discussion board in Quezon Metropolis, a day after Nationwide Safety Adviser Eduardo Año introduced the PCG and BFAR’s ships will take turns in patrolling Panatag Shoal, also referred to as Bajo de Masinloc.
BFAR’s BRP Datu Tamblot has been deployed to the shoal since Feb. 14, together with its Cessna 208B plane or RP-1077 that flew from Clark, Pampanga.
READ: PCG condemns China Coast Guard’s water cannon assault in WPS
Earlier, the PCG’s BRP Teresa Magbanua additionally patrolled the identical waters from Feb. 1 to Feb. 9.
Tarriela added the shoal is a conventional fishing floor for fisherfolk from Zambales, Pangasinan, and different communities alongside Northern Luzon’s coast.
“Due to this, it’s now the steerage of our President to have a rotational deployment between the PCG and the BFAR to take care of our presence in Bajo de Masinloc,” he stated.
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He conceded there are “diplomatic methods” to diffuse the strain within the West Philippine Sea dispute as a substitute of going “face to face” for a battle with China’s may.