The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed an aircraft and the BRP Teresa Magbanua to monitor and challenge a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel operating within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Cabra Island, Occidental Mindoro.
According to PCG Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, the deployment was carried out on Sunday, September 27, upon the directive of PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan to locate and challenge CCG vessel 3303, which had been monitored approximately 35 nautical miles northwest of Cabra Island.
PCG aircraft 2081, a Cessna Grand Caravan, took off from Manila at around 8:40 a.m. for a Maritime Domain Awareness flight. At around 9:20 a.m., the aircraft visually confirmed CCG-3303 about 36.61 nautical miles northwest of Cabra Island.
According to the PCG, the aircraft issued multiple radio challenges, informing the Chinese vessel that it was operating within the Philippine EEZ without authorization. The CCG vessel did not respond to the radio calls.
Later that day, the BRP Teresa Magbanua monitored three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warships with bow numbers 572, 536, and 551 operating approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of Cabra Island.
The Philippine patrol vessel shadowed the three Chinese naval ships at distances ranging from 0.74 to 6.28 nautical miles while maintaining its presence in the area. The sighting followed the monitoring of another PLA-N frigate, with bow number 569, about 22 nautical miles east-northeast of Bajo de Masinloc on September 26.
The PCG assessed that the presence of CCG-3303 and the PLA-N warships was likely connected to China’s monitoring of the ADMM-Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security Joint Cooperative Activity, which recently concluded its at-sea phase in the West Philippine Sea.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the agency would continue deploying air and surface assets to monitor, document, and challenge foreign vessels operating in Philippine waters without authorization.
The PCG said the waters northwest of Cabra Island are within the Philippine EEZ, where the Philippines exercises sovereign rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
The agency also said the deployment is in line with the government’s policy of maintaining a presence in strategic areas of the West Philippine Sea.
