Navy monitors 58 Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea in November

WPS COMPOSITE IMAGE from Inquirer, AFP, Reuters file photos

MANILA, Philippines — Fifty-eight Chinese vessels were seen in various locations in the West Philippine Sea for the whole month of November, according to the Philippine Navy.

“For the month of November, almost 13,000 different vessels were monitored over the archipelago. Of these, 58 were Chinese maritime coast guard and PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy,” Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

However, Trinidad did not disclose the locations of these vessels.

During the same briefing, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson. Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said that a total of 12,837 vessels were monitored in the region from November 1 to 28.

Of this figure, 12, 837 were foreign vessels, while 2,365 were local or domestic vessels.

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Apart from these, a Russian attack submarine, Ufa 490, surfaced in the West Philippine Sea last week.

Despite AFP’s initial concern, Trinidad revealed that the submarine did not conduct any “nefarious activities” in the region.

Earlier, the military force said the submarine was reportedly awaiting improved weather conditions in the West Philippine Sea before heading to Vladivostok, Russia.

“Upon receiving the report, the PN immediately deployed assets to monitor and address the situation, ensuring the security of Philippine waters,” it revealed in a statement on Monday.

AFP added that one of the Navy’s deployed assets, BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), “established radio communications with the submarine, which confirmed its identity, crew complement, and navigational intent.”

Reports revealed that the submarine came from Malaysia and did not submerge as it moved slowly northward, remaining outside the country’s territorial waters until the weekend.

Upon hearing this, the National Security Council downplayed the sighting of the submarine, even as President Marcos called this development “very worrisome.”