MANILA (UPDATED) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the reported presence of Chinese warships near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea was "worrisome."

“It’s worrisome because there are two elements to that: one is that the — dati Coast Guard lang ng China ang gumagalaw doon sa area natin. Ngayon, may navy na sumama pa sa mga fishing boat,” Marcos Jr told reporters.

“So, nagbabago ang sitwasyon... We just watch, of course, what everybody is doing. But, really, for us, patuloy pa rin natin. We just defend our maritime territory. We continue to support all of our fishermen, fisherfolks who make their living from these fishing grounds at patuloy naman nating tutulungan sila,” he continued.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it monitored at least 3 People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships some 20 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc.

The Chinese have also begun using a fishing vessel and deployed signal jammers to prevent Philippine vessels from transmitting their Automatic Identification System signals, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in an interview.

The Philippines has fishing rights in the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, an international court in The Hague ruled in 2016, although China continues to ignore that decision.

Military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla on Monday said the military is ready to support the Philippine Coast Guard and other maritime law enforcement agencies in their operations in the West Philippine Sea.

The statement also followed the latest incident between Philippine and Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc.

BFAR conducts support mission for Bajo de Masinloc fishermen

Manila on Sunday accused the China Coast Guard of attempting to block the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Sanday, which was delivering supplies to fishermen near Bajo de Masinloc. 

The Philippine leader said these developments would not deter the government from protecting the interests of Filipino fishermen who have for decades derived their livelihood from the resource-rich Bajo de Masinloc.

 "Despite whatever else happens, bina-block tayo, kung ano, may shadow, eh patuloy pa rin ang ating gagawin dahil ‘yan naman ang trabaho natin, trabaho natin tulungan natin ‘yung mga fishers na matagal na, ilang henerasyon na doon nangingisda. So, that’s essentially the issue there. So, that’s the basic principle there, is that the fishers must be allowed to fish in their traditional fishing grounds, which belong in the maritime territory of the Philippines," Marcos said.

NAVY: NO PLAN SHIPS WITHIN 12 NAUTICAL MILES OF SHOAL

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday reacted to Marcos' statement, saying that they will take "necessary measures" to safeguard their territory.

"China’s position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear. We express grave concern over the Philippines’ recent activities in the South China Sea that infringe on China’s sovereignty and will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and keep the South China Sea peaceful and stable," said Mao to reporters in Beijing.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy on Wednesday said it has not monitored the presence of Chinese warships “within 12 nautical miles” of Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that based on their latest monitoring, a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel with bow number 175 was spotted some 30 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc on February 19.

Aside from being within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Bajo de Masinloc is considered a rock, which generates a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles.

“Ang sa Bajo de Masinloc, the context of no gray ships is within 12 nautical miles of Bajo de Masinloc kasi territorial sea iyan… What we are concerned about is if the gray ship is now inside the 12 nautical miles,” Trinidad told reporters in a phone interview.

“Bajo de Masinloc is considered a rock. As a rock, it is part of our territory. Hence, it generates a 12-nautical mile territorial sea. We have sovereignty within the 12 nautical miles. It is within our EEZ, kung saan pwede magkaroon ng innocent passage,” he added.

Tarriela on Tuesday said, during the last mission of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources from February 21 to 23, they were able to monitor the presence of three PLAN vessels in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc.

However, Tarriela clarified that the warships have maintained a distance of more than 20 nautical miles from the shoal. — With a report from Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News