Increased China presence in WPS bid to cover up ‘embarrassing’ mishap —NMC

The increased Chinese presence around Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal could be an attempt to protect their image after the recent collision between ships of the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy), the National Maritime Council said Sunday.

The Philippine Navy confirmed that as of August 14, China has deployed seven CCG vessels and 13 Chinese maritime militia vessels in the area, compared with the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) lone vessel the BRP Teresa Magbanua.

“Siguro ito yung isa nilang pamamaraan para baligtarin ‘yung nangyari, kasi very embarrassing ‘yun sa kanila and they want again to project na they’re in control para matabunan ‘yung issue,” NMC  spokesperson Undersecretary Alexander Lopez said in a report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(Maybe this is one of their ways to twist what happened because that was very embarrassing for them, and they want to project again that they’re in control to cover up the issue.)

This comes as the CCG vessel 3104 and PLA Navy ship 164 collided approximately 10.5 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc on August 11, after chasing the Philippines’ BRP Suluan at high speed. China has yet to confirm if there have been any fatalities from the collision.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said China may have also deployed anti-drone technology in the area, as Philippine officials have failed to launch drones in the area.

“We were not able to launch our drones. It’s because, we are suspecting, that the Chinese have jammed the signal,” he said in the same report.

“We always fly our drone especially if we are subjected to dangerous maneuvers, because we have to document it and then submit it to the National Task Force and then at the same time, of course, release it to the public,” he added.

The Philippines has maintained that the Bajo de Masinloc is part of its territory, as ruled by an international tribunal in 2016, which also invalidated Beijing’s massive South China Sea claims.

China has refused to acknowledge such ruling, and its government in 2022 claimed that it will continue to adhere to what it described as a “friendly consultation” with the Philippines after several Chinese vessels have been found “swarming” areas in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines has already filed dozens of diplomatic protests against China regarding the territorial dispute under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News