The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has stepped up its presence in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) after the BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) shadowed two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels during a routine maritime patrol near Bajo de Masinloc.
In a statement on Sunday, PCG Spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the patrol vessel monitored the movements of CCG 4305, a 134-meter Type 301 Zhaokai-class ship, and CCG 3305, a 111-meter Shucha II-class vessel, in waters located 26.22 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc and 93.63 nautical miles west-northwest of Paluig, Zambales.
Despite the stark size difference—the 44-meter BRP Cabra facing two significantly larger CCG vessels—the Coast Guard said its crew repeatedly issued radio challenges ordering the Chinese ships to leave Philippine waters.
The PCG cited the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
“The PCG stressed that it will continue routine and legitimate patrols to protect national sovereignty and prevent the normalization of unlawful Chinese presence,” the agency said.
It added that the patrol was carried out professionally and in accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to assert the country’s sovereign rights “peacefully, without escalating tensions.”
