PCG: Chinese vessels seen in Bajo de Masinloc as PH distributes aid to fishers

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Friday several Chinese vessels were spotted during the recent distribution of fuel subsidy and food packs to Filipino fishermen at Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

In a statement, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said the following Chinese ships were seen Thursday in the area:

• one People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warship
• three China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels
• three Chinese maritime militia vessels

Tarriela said the Chinese warship issued a radio challenge to the PCG's Piper Navajo aircraft, which responded by asserting that it was conducting a lawful maritime patrol within Philippine maritime zones, in accordance with international law.

"The continued presence of Chinese maritime forces in and around BDM, a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk, remains inconsistent with the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Tarriela said.

"The Award affirmed that Bajo de Masinloc is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fishermen and that China unlawfully prevented them from fishing there," he added.

Tarriela said the PCG conducted a maritime domain awareness flight over Bajo de Masinloc in support of the ongoing Kadiwa ng Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda mission led by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

A total of 35 Filipino fishing boats were sighted to receive diesel and food packs.

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. — VDV, GMA News