PCG confronts China Coast Guard on illegal patrol off Zambales
China Coast Guard’s 3301 off Zambales. PHOTO FROM THE PCG.
MANILA, Philippines — A personnel of Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Teresa Magbanua chided China Coast Guard’s (CCG) illegal presence off Zambales in the West Philippine Sea, as shown in a radio challenge clip shared to reporters Thursday.
“You do not possess any legal authority to patrol inside our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” a PCG personnel could be heard saying to CCG vessel 3301 in a routine radio challenge.
READ: China’s ‘monster ship’ now off Paracel Islands
Its latest location was last spotted approximately 105-110 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales, PCG said.
PCG noted that the BRP Teresa Magbanua has been staying off Zambales for a week.
“Despite challenging sea conditions, with wave heights reaching 2-4 meters, the BRP Teresa Magbanua has remained steadfast in its mission for over a week,” the PCG said in a statement.
Before this, CCG ship with bow number 5901, also known as the “monster ship”, stayed off Zambales for more than two months before leaving on Feb. 14.
Such actions are based on Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea—including most of the West Philippine Sea—despite the historic 2016 arbitral award which effectively rejected its sweeping claims in western section of Manila’s EEZ.
