The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday said a Chinese warship’s attempt to cross the bow or front side of a Philippine Navy vessel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was an unprecedented “elevation” of China’s provocative actions.
Reports of the latest incident came as President Marcos emphasized his continued support for the modernization of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to meet the challenges in the country’s territorial waters, especially the WPS.
“Our capability to defend our maritime, sovereign territory of the Philippines is increasing, so we are continuing with the upgrading of the equipment, the training, and the capabilities of all our people, especially the Coast Guard,” the President said in Filipino.
On Friday, a Chinese ship identified as the CNS Panzhihua shadowed the BRP Benguet during a resupply mission and came as close as 350 yards when it tried to cut off the Navy vessel near Pag-asa Island, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said.
“Based on the report, the shadowing is a usual occurrence already, but the crossing of the bow is something new. In a way, that is an elevation of what they’ve been doing before,” Aguilar said. “They are probably testing our resolve.”
The government “knows how to deal with that situation,” he added.
“For us, we support the strategy of the government to pursue peaceful means in resolving conflict. What we do in the AFP is provide information that we get from our maritime patrols, at the same time, to show our firm resolve that we are ready to protect what is ours,” Aguilar told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Crossing the bow is considered a dangerous maneuver as it can result in a collision.
Aguilar said the Philippine Navy issued consecutive radio challenges to the Chinese ship, which responded by citing the “ten-dash line,” an internationally discredited policy that Beijing uses to claim nearly the entire South China Sea.
In the end, the Chinese vessel changed its course, and BRP Benguet successfully delivered fresh provisions to the troops stationed at the Rizal Reef station.
Beijing on Monday said it had sovereignty over Pag-asa Island, which it calls Zhongye Island and defended its presence there.
It also accused the Philippines of violating China’s sovereignty.
“It is reasonable and lawful for Chinese warships to patrol the waters near Zhongye Island,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
But Aguilar stressed that China’s territorial claims have long been invalidated by the 2016 arbitral ruling at the United Nations Arbitral court at The Hague in the Netherlands.
“What they are saying is according to what they know and believe, but there is already the arbitral court that says that their claim for territory in those areas that are not subject for appropriation has no basis at all. So, the 2016 arbitral award invalidates their claim. It can no longer be subject to debate,” Aguilar said.
He said China’s dangerous maneuvers endangered the lives of maritime personnel onboard the Philippine vessel, he added.
“If we focus our discussion on what happened during the mission, it is very clear. First, they shadowed our vessel to as close as 80 yards. Second, they tried to cross the bow of our ship, which could lead to an accident. How do you describe those actions? For us, these actions are irresponsible and unprofessional,” Aguilar said.
“That is not allowed because there is a convention, a regulation that is supposed to be followed by every navigator to prevent collision at sea.” he added.
Aguilar said the AFP expects another diplomatic protest to be filed against China and said they have already submitted a report of the incident to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
At a ceremony to mark the PCG’s 122nd Founding Anniversary in Port Area, Manila, Marcos said the government wants to add 40 more patrol vessels to the agency, “not only because they are on the frontline in the problems now that we’re facing in the West Philippine Sea but also because of the very important function that they play when it comes to search and rescue.”
The President joined the inspection of the BRP Malabrigo, the vessel bombarded by China’s water cannon during a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal last August.
“This is the very ship that was water-cannoned. So we can see that our capability to defend our sovereign maritime territory of the Philippines is increasing,” the President said in Filipino.
The President also said the Philippines was lucky to have “many friends” around the world ready to help boost the Coast Guard’s capabilities.
In other developments:
* The PCG said videos and photo documentations supported the Philippines’ assertion that it was China that was acting aggressively in the area, amid calls by China for the Philippines to stop provocations in the West Philippine Sea. “I think we just have to look at the videos and photos that we have been releasing in the past months,” PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said. He added that Philippine assertions of Chinese aggressive actions in the South China Sea have always been supported by videos and photos.
* The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) asked the Senate for more funds to buy additional patrol vessels. At a budget hearing Tuesday, BFAR Director Demosthenes Escoto told the panel presided by Senator Cynthia Villar that at present they have only two multi-mission vessels, a research vessel, 12 marine vessels, 12 monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) vessels, and a hundred small ships deployed in their local offices. He said most of these vessels are already 12 years old, and that some are undergoing repairs while others are no longer used to sail.
* The Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday said that they will proceed with the acquisition of three new aircraft units for the Philippine Air Force (PAF). In a statement, the DND said that there are three C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft set to arrive in the country in July and October of 2026 and one in January 2027. The aircraft will be added to PAF’s current mixed fleet of C-130s that are used to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts and various military operations.
