PCG pushes back China Coast Guard farther off Zambales coast

Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cabra was able to push back a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel farther away from the coastline of Zambales on Saturday, the PCG said.

"As of now, the CCG-5303 has been successfully pushed back to approximately 95 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales," PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

Tarriela was referring to the 134-meter CCG vessel with bow number 5303, which the PCG said replaced CCG vessel 3103 early Saturday "to maintain China's illegal patrol off the coast of Zambales."

The BRP Cabra shadowed CCG-5303 despite huge waves with heights of 5 to 8 feet, the PCG said.

"The crew aboard the BRP Cabra remains steadfast in their mission to assert the Philippines' sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)," it added.

"They are committed in pushing the CCG-5303 further away from the Philippine coastline while meticulously documenting the People's Republic of China's illegal and escalatory actions," the PCG further said.

The Philippines and China continue to be embroiled in a territorial dispute amid Beijing's massive claim in the South China Sea (SCS) which includes parts Manila refers to as the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

China claims "indisputable sovereignty" over the entire waters of the South China Sea, where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas. Its claims overlap with the offshore territories claimed by Asian neighbors surrounding the South China Sea.

In 2016, however, the Philippines scored a victory against China in a landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The PCA ruled that "there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the nine-dash line."

China has repeatedly said the PCA ruling is "illegal" and "invalid".

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. stood his ground that the WPS belongs to the Filipinos amid China's aggression in the resource-rich region.

West Philippine Sea is the name the Philippines uses to refer to portions of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone and its jurisdiction. —KG, GMA Integrated News