260 Chinese ships spotted in WPS last month–AFP
The Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Tuesday that it monitored a record-high number of 260 Chinese vessels, including warships, swarming over various parts of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) throughout February.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said at a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo that 19 Chinese warships and China Coast Guard vessels (CCG) were spotted in Ayungin (Second Thomas ) Shoal, Escoda (Sabina) Shoal and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.
According to Padilla, emphasis was given to these three features “as they are very important in protecting our exclusive economic zone.”
In the same press briefing, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, said that nine CCG vessels were positioned near Panatag while seven others were at Ayungin.
Panatag, about 220 kilometers west of Zambales, is a traditional Filipino fishing ground which China took control of after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy in 2012.
Ayungin, which is about 200 kilometers from Palawan, is where the BRP Sierra Madre has been deliberately grounded by the Philippines since 1999. The World War II-era ship serves as the country’s military outpost in the shoal.
In September last year, the AFP said the number of Chinese ships monitored in the WPS for that month was 251, the highest tally for 2024.
The Philippines has repeatedly told China to withdraw its ships from the area but Beijing has ignored this.
Blatant disregard
“Their persistent illegal presence in the West Philippine Sea blatantly disregards the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and infringes upon our sovereignty and sovereign rights,” Padilla said in the news briefing.
“Your AFP will remain steadfast in our commitment to upholding international law and defending the integrity of our national territory,” she added.
Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, and has repeatedly ignored the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its claims in the resource-rich waterway.
Trinidad, meanwhile, clarified that the smoke seen rising from BRP Sierra Madre on Feb. 28 was part of a fire drill.
“These are designed to ensure the survivability and operational readiness of that warship,” he said, adding that this was being conducted at least once a month.
