PCG ships in ‘David vs Goliath’ face-off in West PH Sea
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Cabra returned to shore on Sunday after more than a week of being deployed off Zambales to monitor the movements of Chinese coast guard ships spotted off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.
US-based maritime security expert Ray Powell, a director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University who tracks South China Sea activities through satellite imaging, said as many as 12 China Coast Guard (CCG) and militia ships were spotted near the shoal a day before.
He called BRP Cabra’s presence in the area a “David vs Goliath” situation. “It may seem futile, but it’s necessary to keep asserting the Philippines’ claim [and] its right to freedom of navigation within its own EEZ,” Powell said on X.
‘Intrusive patrolling’
He added that three of six CCG ships moved south to Palawan on Sunday, conducting an “intrusive patrol” at an already close 64 kilometers (35 nautical miles) from the coast.
BRP Cabra was replaced by its sister ship, BRP Bacagay, which was sent to the area to check out three CCG vessels, including CCG 3105 which it shadowed to challenge its presence.
The replacement of BRP Cabra was due to “logistical concerns,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said. The 44-meter Parola-class vessels can only stay for 10 to 15 days at sea compared to much larger ships.
SeaLight has described the Chinese coast guard’s “intrusive patrolling” as “a key component of China’s strategy to reinforce its expansive maritime claims in disputed waters.”
Panatag Shoal, or Bajo de Masinloc, lies 222 km (120 nautical miles) from the mainland west of Luzon, well within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Beijing took hold of the shoal in 2012 after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy, prompting Manila to file an arbitral case that it won in 2016.
Since the start of the year, Beijing has further stepped up its presence in the WPS, keeping PCG ships busy.
According to Tarriela, on Jan. 31, the BRP Teresa Magbanua challenged the presence of CCG vessel 3304 which was spotted about 190 km off Zambales while the PCG was distributing supplies to fisherfolk in the area.
BRP Teresa Magbanua informed the Chinese ship’s crew that it did not have “legal authority to patrol” the country’s EEZ and ordered it to leave the area immediately.
The Chinese vessel was later replaced by the 165-meter CCG 5901, also known as the “Monster,” the largest coast guard vessel in the world.
‘Illegal presence’
The giant ship was first seen in the Philippine EEZ on Jan. 1, when it arrived at Panatag almost five months after it left Escoda (Sabina) Shoal.
On Feb. 2, the PCG also confirmed the “illegal presence” of CCG vessels, identified by bow numbers 3301 and 3104. Both were spotted approximately63 km off the coast of Pangasinan through the PCG’s dark vessel detection program.
To address the vessels’ presence, the PCG deployed BRP Cabra and BRP Bagacay to Bolinao, Pangasinan. A PCG Island aircraft was also dispatched to issue a radio challenge against the CCG vessels, which did not respond.
By the morning of Feb. 4, the PCG confirmed that the two vessels had exited the Philippine EEZ. On Feb. 11, the PCG said BRP Cabra had deterred CCG vessel 3304 from going near the Zambales coastline.
But the following day, the PCG spotted more Chinese vessels, including the Monster, at Panatag.
Tarriela, said a new CCG vessel, CCG 5303, which reportedly left China on Feb. 10, joined CCG 5901, CCG 3103 and CCG 3502 at Panatag. It was spotted approximately 190 km off Palauig, Zambales.
The Lan Hai 101, one of China’s two largest fisheries research ships, which was seen “transiting” the country’s archipelagic waters on Feb. 10, was also spotted around 114 km from the coastline of Babuyan Island.
In response, Tarriela said the BRP Cabra was initially dispatched to shadow Lan Hai 101, but another Chinese vessel, CCG 3304, showed up.
“The CCG 3304 took this opportunity to accompany Cabra in following Lan Hai,” he added in an online interview on Feb. 12.
On Feb. 14, “after heading south towards Recto Bank,” according to Tarriela, the Monster “made a sharp turn” to proceed to Beijing-occupied Paracel Islands. —WITH REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
