THE recent swarm of Chinese militia and fishing vessels around Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) has been attributed to unfavorable weather conditions, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official said.
Speaking at the Saturday News Forum, PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela revealed that the number of Chinese vessels in the area had decreased from around 90 to just over 30 in recent days.
He explained that the vessels were likely forced to anchor near Pag-asa Island due to rough seas caused by bad weather.
“If you ask me why the Chinese maritime militia started swarming Pag-asa, I would say it’s because of the bad weather conditions that compelled these vessels to anchor close to Pag-asa,” Tarriela said.
However, despite the weather-related explanation, Tarriela emphasized that the presence of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ territorial waters remains a concern for the Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
He confirmed that the PCG continues to monitor the situation and assert the country’s sovereignty in the area.
“Whenever these Chinese maritime militia vessels enter the territorial sea of Pag-asa, we religiously challenge them and inform them that this is part of the territorial sea of the Philippines, that they do not have jurisdiction over these waters, and that they must respect our sovereignty,” Tarriela added.
Pag-asa Island is located approximately 285 nautical miles from Palawan, within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
In June, the Philippines submitted a formal request to the United Nations to extend its maritime boundary farther into the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
The request, citing Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), asserts that the Philippines, as a coastal state, has the right to establish the outer limits of its continental shelf, which can extend beyond 200 nautical miles but not exceed 350 nautical miles from its baselines.