A total of 18 Chinese ships have been monitored in key features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the past week, the Philippine Navy said Tuesday.
In an update, Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said Chinese ships were spotted from February 15 to 22 at:
- Bajo de Masinloc – nine (four People’s Liberation Army Navy, five
- China Coast Guard vessels)
- Ayungin Shoal – four (four CCGs)
- Escoda Shoal – three (two PLANs, one CCG)
- Pag-asa Island – two (one PLAN, one CCG)
On Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) accused China of jamming signals while Filipino vessels were conducting maritime patrols near Bajo de Masinloc.
“I would like to believe that the People’s Republic of China is conducting signal jamming because we monitor that for our vessels every time we go near or within a radius of 24 nautical miles and closer to Bajo de Masinloc. These are the instances when our Starlink signal disappears,” PCG Spokesperson for WPS Jay Tarriela said.
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.
