Chinese warship challenges PH aircraft in Panatag
A Chinese Navy warship challenged a Philippine aircraft during a routine patrol near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Monday morning, and for the first time, officials aboard Philippine vessels suspect possible jamming by China after internet connection repeatedly dropped in the area, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
In a Zoom interview, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the agency’s Coast Guard Islander departed Manila around 7 a.m. for a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight after monitoring a large number of Filipino fishing boats near the shoal.
“When we conducted the MDA flight, we monitored three China Coast Guard vessels at a distance of 33.6 nautical miles (62.22 kilometers) from Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag),” Tarriela said.
“It is also worth noting that when we reached approximately 60 nautical miles (111.12 km) off the coast of Zambales, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship had already challenged our flight. It was a PLA Navy warship with bow number 554. The patrol concluded around 11 a.m., and that was the entirety of the MDA flight,” he added.
Tarriela said that besides the aircraft, the PCG also deployed the BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) and monitored the voyage of BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), which was also proceeding to Bajo de Masinloc to support the “Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” program of the national government.
He said 35 Filipino fishing boats received fuel subsidies during the patrol.
Signal jamming
Tarriela also raised concerns about possible electronic interference, noting that Starlink connections aboard Philippine vessels repeatedly dropped whenever they approached the shoal.
“Besides that, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that Starlink connections aboard the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ vessels and even the Philippine Coast Guard vessel MRRV-4409 have been repeatedly lost. We believe this may be due to signal jamming by the People’s Republic of China,” the PCG official said.
“This occurs consistently whenever our vessels approach or enter the 24-nautical-mile range near Bajo de Masinloc, which is when our Starlink signals disappear,” he added.
Chinese vessels continue to occupy the area of Panatag Shoal within the Philippines’ 370-km exclusive economic zone (EEZ), following a standoff with the Philippine Navy in 2012, which led to Manila’s arbitral case the next year against Beijing. This culminated in a 2016 ruling in favor of the Philippines by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
China refuses to recognize that ruling, which affirms the Philippines’ maritime rights under its EEZ. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
