PCG continues to challenge China ‘trespassing’

MANILA, Philippines — After withdrawing its biggest vessel nicknamed the “monster ship” from the waters of Zambales, the China Coast Guard (CCG) sent two ships to take over its illegal patrol in the West Philippine Sea, particularly near Panatag Shoal.

The arrival of the two Chinese ships with bow number 3103 and 3304 one after the other was detected by the BRP Teresa Magbanua, a 97-meter patrol ship of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The Teresa Magbanua “conducted ongoing monitoring of the illegal presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels exhibiting erratic movements along the coastline of Zambales province, approximately 70-80 nautical miles from shore,” PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

The two CCG vessels replaced the “monster ship,” which had operated in Philippine waters for four days before sailing away.

“Despite this change, the objective of the Chinese deployment remains the same: to assert normalization and legitimacy in these waters,” Tarriela said.

Earlier, the Teresa Magbanua sent a radio challenge to CCG 3304 and asked the foreign vessel to “depart immediately and notify us of your intentions.”

“The PCG is steadfast in its mission to counteract these efforts and prevent any normalization of illegal deployment of CCG vessels. Under the guidance of Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, the PCG will continue to vigilantly monitor the illegal presence of the Chinese Coast Guard while employing a measured response that prioritizes the Philippines’ national interests and aims to avoid escalation,” Tarriela said.

Meanwhile, National Security Council (NSC) assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said measures are being undertaken to ensure the safety of undersea communications cables in the West Philippine Sea.

“We recognize the threat and are acting accordingly,” Malaya told The STAR yesterday in reaction to reports of a Chinese-linked cargo vessel supposedly having caused damage to an international underwater cable northeast of Taiwan.

Reports said the Taiwanese government is investigating the incident, which it claimed may be part of “grey zone” tactics of China.

Malaya noted that the Philippines is extremely concerned about the possibility of its undersea cables being damaged “because these cables are crucial for international communication and data transmission, facilitating 99 percent of global data traffic.”

“Any damage to cables connecting the Philippines to the rest of the world can disrupt the national infrastructure. There are undersea cables connecting the Philippines to (Asia) mainland that pass through the WPS and the rest of the SCS (South China Sea),” he said.

But he noted that so far, “we have not had similar incidents in the country but we need to be vigilant because of the importance of these cables.”

“Protecting these undersea cables will require an interagency effort, with the Philippine Coast Guard ramping up patrols at sea, the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) and cable operators utilizing advanced sensors to detect potential threats and the cable companies building multiple routes to minimize single point failures,” he said.