China Coast Guard presence near Zambales reaches a month
MANILA, Philippines — China Coast Guard vessels have prowled the waters off Zambales for 30 consecutive days — behavior that the Philippine Coast Guard says is proof of Beijing's "blatant disregard for international law."
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said in a statement Sunday evening that China's largest Coast Guard vessel was last spotted approximately 120 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales, well within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
Tarriela said the PCG has kept CCG 5901 or the so-called "monster" ship — dubbed so for its imposing size — from advancing closer to the Zambales shoreline.
"Currently, the BRP Teresa Magbanua remains steadfast in its patriotic duty, actively challenging the presence of China Coast Guard 5901, which is now located around 117 nautical miles from the coast," Tarriela said.
Throughout the month, the PCG's flagship 97-meter BRP Teresa Magbanua and other PCG vessels have repeatedly found itself confronting the much larger 164-meter CCG 5901. Video footages released by the PCG show that Philippine forces have repeatedly issued radio challenges to China's ships, citing the 2016 arbitral award and the Philippines' Maritime Zones Act.
The PCG spokesperson reiterated the Philippines' commitment to preventing the "normalization" of China's "illegal deployment of maritime forces in the region."
"The unlawful presence of the Chinese vessel and its refusal to recognize the arbitral award illustrate the PRC's blatant disregard for international law and the established rules-based order," Tarriela said.
Tarriela added that the China Coast Guard's claims of promoting peace are contradicted by their actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Two other CCG vessels were spotted near Luna, La Union on Monday, prompting the PCG to deploy BRP Cabra and Bagacay to monitor their movements.
These vessels were earlier observed as close as 34 nautical miles from the coast of Pangasinan, marking the closest approach to Philippine land by CCG vessels, though they did not remain in that position for long.