China Coast Guard stops shadowing PH civilian ship in West PH Sea

T/S Felix Oca Captain Jorge Dela Cruz

MANILA, Philippines —  The China Coast Guard (CCG) ship that had been shadowing the Philippine vessel carrying Atin Ito volunteers in the West Philippine Sea stopped tailing the civilian ship early Friday morning.

Training Ship (T/S) Felix Oca Captain Jorge Dela Cruz said the CCG vessel stopped shadowing them at around 2 a.m., west of El Nido, Palawan.

READ: West Philippine Sea Atin Ito mission: Crewman recalls first sight of Chinese threat

“We’re now entering Manila Bay, with an estimated time of arrival in Manila at 16:00 (4 p.m.). We expect to be alongside Pier 15 by around 17:00 (5 p.m.). We’re currently about 45 nautical miles from Manila,” he told reporters.

“The CCG stopped shadowing us. I was here around 2 a.m. It already went on its way and left us west of El Nido, Palawan, in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

According to Dela Cruz, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel escorting T/S Felix Oca also came to a stop after the CCG ship disengaged near Palawan.

Dela Cruz reported sighting two CCG vessels shadowing the Atin Ito convoy, along with two PCG vessels escorting it, on the mission’s second day on May 27, approximately six hours at sea from Palawan.

One of the CCG vessels even issued a radio challenge to the Philippine civilian ship and the PCG vessels

Despite this, Atin Ito completed its mission on Pag-asa Island, where they held a sea concert. The coalition also distributed over 20 gallons of fuel to local fisherfolk on the island.

Beijing’s continued aggression stems from its claim of sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea. It continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling, which dismissed its claims and upheld Manila’s sovereignty./mcm