By: Pauline Ritchel Ramos
Photo Courtesy: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, dubbed the “monster ship,” moved away from the Zambales coastline on Sunday, Jan. 18, only for another large Chinese vessel to approach the area.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokeswoman for the West Philippine Sea, verified that CCG-5901 was last detected about 95 nautical miles from Zambales.
However, a new vessel, CCG-3304, approached within 65 nautical miles of the shore, larger than the PCG's largest ship, the BRP Gabriela Silang, which has been aggressively watching the CCG and sending radio challenges to assert the Philippines' territorial claims.
"Although the monster ship has departed, CCG-3304, its replacement, remains larger than our largest vessel," said Tarriela.
"Despite the size disparity, the BRP Gabriela Silang continues its mission to challenge the unlawful presence of the Chinese Coast Guard," he added
The PCG reaffirmed that these incursions violate the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Hague verdict, which invalidated China's broad claims to the South China Sea.
Following Manila's diplomatic objection, the National Maritime Council recently requested that China withdraw its warships from the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
However, Beijing remained obstinate, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun repeating the country's historical rights to the contested waters.
“We urge the Philippines to cease all provocations and false accusations,” Jiakun said in a statement, maintaining that their maritime operations are lawful.
Despite the continued tension, the PCG vowed to uphold its mandate to monitor and challenge illegal activities within Philippine waters to prevent the normalization of such actions.