MANILA, Philippines — China's rotating fleet of massive Coast Guard vessels off Zambales has compelled local fishermen to move with extra caution while venturing out to sea, a fisherfolk federation leader said Tuesday, January 21.
The Philippine Coast Guard marked its 16th day yesterday challenging the presence of Chinese vessels prowling illegally in the waters off Zambales, well within the country's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
While Beijing's CCG vessel 5901, dubbed the "monster ship" due to its massive size, moved away this weekend, it was immediately replaced by CCG vessel 3304 – a 111-meter ship that still dwarfs the PCG's biggest ship, the 96-meter BRP Teresa Magbanua.
In response, the PCG has maintained its deployment of the 84-meter BRP Gabriela Silang to monitor China's vessels. It also issues hourly radio challenges.
Leonardo Cuaresma, who chairs the Federated Association of Fisherfolk in Masinloc, described a tense situation at sea where China has deployed not just its coast guard vessels but also its maritime militia to conduct coordinated patrols up to 50 nautical miles from where local fishermen operate.
"Our fishermen there, our companions, and other organizations here in the province of Zambales, it's true that we've been discussing this, and they have concerns about this matter because the monster ship remains stationed in front of Capones," Cuaresma said in Filipino in an interview with TeleRadyo on Tuesday.
The PCG first reported the presence of the 12,000-ton "monster ship" some 50 to 70 nautical miles off Capones Island in Zambales on January 4. Since then, PCG reports show the CCG vessel has only moved away upon the deployment of a reliever vessel.
Cuaresma onserved the same pattern. "They don't leave. And when our forces are there, they just move away briefly but then come back again."
"They are well within our exclusive economic zone. Their massive ship is just about 40 nautical miles off Capones," he said.
While local fishing boats regularly encounter these Chinese vessels at sea, they have so far been left alone.
"Actually, for now, they sometimes encounter our commercial fishing vessels, but by God's grace, they don't interfere with our fishermen," he said.
However, local fishers remain concerned about potential incidents at sea, particularly given the stark disparity in size between Philippine and Chinese vessels. "We don’t know, but if we make one wrong move, it could potentially endanger our fishermen," Cuaresma said.
Radio challenges from the Philippine Coast Guard appear to have limited effect, the fisherfolk leader added.
"They have no fear regarding this matter, except when the Philippine Coast Guard frequently conducts joint exercises. If the ships of the US, Japan, and some of our neighboring countries are present, there is a possibility that China's monster ship could be driven away," Cuaresma said in Filipino.
Already on edge
Cuaresma also explained that the constant presence of Chinese vessels has become even more concerning for the fishing community following the disappearance of several fishermen last month under unusual circumstances.
"Last month, some of our fishermen reportedly had their boats sink. The sea wasn't rough during that time and there was no bad weather," he said in Filipino. Only one fisherman from the group made it back – a crew member who had stayed aboard their mother boat. "Those who separated using smaller boats never returned," he said.
Cuaresma said this is why local fishers were already on edge when China's largest Coast Guard vessel started roaming the waters off Zambales earlier this month.
"The survivor who made it home couldn't explain what happened to their companions. Some worry they might have encountered Chinese vessels, though we cannot confirm this," he added.
Non-flashpoint area
After two years of increasing run-ins between both nations' Coast Guard vessels, the deployment of China's 12,000-ton vessel off Zambales has brought Beijing's maritime muscle closer to an area that has not traditionally been a flashpoint between the two countries.
As a result, Manila has branded China's maritime presence near Zambales — and its reported deployment of a navy helicopter — as escalatory actions that violate both Philippine and international law.
China's increasing incursions into the Philippines' EEZ are part of its broader actions in the South China Sea, where it claims historic rights to almost all waters through its "nine-dash line." An international tribunal invalidated this claim in 2016.
In recent years, Chinese vessels have maintained a persistent presence around features inside the Philippines' EEZ, from the resource-rich Scarborough Shoal to the submerged Ayungin Shoal where Filipino troops maintain a World War II-era ship as an outpost.