The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday said it again issued a radio challenge against the “monster ship” of China Coast Guard (CCG) as it was patrolling illegally within the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
“Today, this vessel has been reported to be operating unlawfully at a distance of 60-70 nautical miles from Philippine territory,” the PCG said in a statement shared by PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela late Friday night.
The PCG said its vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301) challenged CCG 5901, the “monster ship”.
However, despite the PCG’s multiple radio communications, “the Chinese vessel has continued its illegal operations,” it said.
“The PCG emphasizes that the Philippines’ authority in these waters is in accordance with the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” it added.
“The Philippine Coast Guard remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s maritime rights and protecting its national interests,” the PCG said.
The monster ship—reputed as the largest coast guard ship in the world—was earlier spotted 54 nautical miles away from Capones Island, Zambales. It moved near Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro
It was then redeployed and positioned itself 97 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.
The Philippines on Tuesday called on China to withdraw its CCG vessel 5901 from Philippine waters.
“The Philippine government is alarmed by the presence of the monster ship,” National Task Force – West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a press briefing.
“And we have made a clear request and demand with the Chinese government to withdraw their ship. So let’s see what their response will be. We’ll take it from there,” he added.
Malaya said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already issued a diplomatic protest against the presence of the monster ship.
Meanwhile, several warships of the Philippine Navy conducted exercises Friday during a sovereignty patrol in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid the continuing presence of China’s monster ship off the Zambales coast.
In a statement, the Philippine Navy said its offshore combat ships held a unilateral exercise to sustain and enhance the operational proficiency of its assets and personnel in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, which is 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales.
The latest survey conducted by OCTA Research showed that 84% of Filipinos expressed their support for the current actions by the government to assert the country’s maritime rights in the disputed sea.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee Sen. Marco Rubio said China’s actions towards the Philippines and Taiwan are making the US focus on the region “in ways we prefer not to have to.”
According to JP Soriano’s report on “24 Oras” on Friday, Rubio in his confirmation hearing told US lawmakers of China’s “monster ship” that has stayed in the Philippines’ EEZ for several days.
“There’s this massive, I don’t even know how to describe it, but this massive ship that the Chinese have built, that’s like it’s headed to the Philippines and the Philippines feels threatened by it, rightfully so,” Rubio said.
“They really need to stop messing around with Taiwan and the Philippines because it’s forcing us to focus our attention in ways we prefer not to have to,” he added. —KG, GMA Integrated News
