By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – A total of 90 Chinese warships and coast guard vessels were monitored throughout March across four key features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a senior naval official reported Tuesday.
“Specific to the WPS, we have documented the persistent and unauthorized presence of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and China Coast Guard (CCG). For this month, a total of 90 different vessels were monitored across (four) key features,” Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said during a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
This is much higher than the 62 Chinese warships and coast guard monitored last February.
He identified the four WPS features as Bajo de Masinloc, Pag-asa Island, Ayungin, and Escoda Shoals.
Trinidad said the Chinese vessels in these areas can be broken into the following:
* Bajo de Masinloc: 49 vessels (17 PLAN, 32 CCG);
* Pag-asa: 15 vessels (four PLAN, 11 CCG);
* Ayungin Shoal: 14 vessels (four PLAN, 10 CCG);
* Escoda Shoal: 12 vessels (seven PLAN, five CCG).
“These figures highlight the continued use of ICAD (illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive) actions which undermine the rules-based international order and is a blatant attempt to erode the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights of the Philippines,” Trinidad said.
He also said the increase can be attributed to China’s desire to take advantage of every opportunity to “legalize their illegal presence and to normalize the situation.”
“We have noted in the past two weeks an escalation of their numbers, which coincided with developments in the Middle East region,” Trinidad said.
Such actions, the PN official said, are deliberate, and China is trying to take advantage of the focus of the international community in the Middle East.
Despite these challenges, Trinidad said the Armed Forces of the Philippines remains steadfast in its mandate of protecting Philippine sovereignty and territory.
“We will continue to document every intrusion and maintain a disciplined, professional presence to protect our national patrimony. Our commitment to the Filipino people is unwavering: we will not back down, and we will not be deterred in ensuring that vigilant protection of our maritime domain today is a sacred duty that ensures the wealth, security, and heritage of our seas is for the benefit of all future generations of Filipinos,” he added.
Trinidad said the AFP monitored a total of 22,755 vessels of all types navigating within the Philippine maritime zones during the same period. Of this total, 19,328 were foreign-flagged vessels, while 3,428 were domestic.
Trinidad said 14,990 vessels complied with international protocols by responding to radio challenges, while 7,765 vessels failed to respond. (PNA)
