PCG deploys ships, aircraft to Panatag after reported Chinese harassment

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed vessels and an aircraft to Bajo de Masinloc on Tuesday after Filipino fishermen reported harassment by Chinese ships in the disputed shoal.

The Coast Guard, in coordination with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said the mission includes securing the area and delivering fuel, ice and food packs to fishermen.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PCG said fishermen who witnessed the incident reported that Chinese Coast Guard vessels with hull numbers 21605, 3107 and 3103, along with suspected maritime militia ships, carried out dangerous maneuvers.

“These actions included the repeated use of sirens and the launching of rigid hull inflatable boats specifically intended to drive Filipino fishermen away and prevent them from exercising their legitimate right to fish in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag),” the PCG said.

Panatag Shoal, known locally as Bajo de Masinloc, is located some 220 kilometers away from Luzon in the West Philippine Sea, well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Much of that area remains occupied by Beijing after a 2012 standoff with the Philippine Navy.

Radio challenge exchange

A maritime patrol flight ordered by PCG commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan on Wednesday confirmed the presence of at least five China Coast Guard vessels, three People’s Liberation Army Navy ships and two suspected maritime militia vessels in the area, according to the PCG.

The aircraft also spotted more than 20 Filipino fishing boats operating near the shoal, alongside yellow buoys installed by China last year.

READ: PH logs 2026’s first Chinese harassment in Scarborough Shoal

During the patrol, the PCG aircraft issued radio challenges to the Chinese vessels asserting Philippine jurisdiction. 

The coast guard said a People’s Liberation Army Air Force asset also challenged the PCG aircraft— the first such incident recorded in the area, according to the PCG. /das