The Philippine Coast Guard said it deployed the largest ship in its fleet to the Kalayaan Island Group. PCG/Facebook, file

MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported at a news forum on Saturday that it is actively monitoring the movements of three Chinese research vessels located 210 nautical miles east of Siargao Island in Surigao Del Norte.

The vessels, identified as Xiang Yang Hong 3, Jia Geng, and Xiang Yang Hong 10, are outside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone had been in Philippine waters in recent days.

According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, while the vessels are not currently within the Philippines’ EEZ, their movements are being closely tracked using the Automatic Identification System (AIS).

“As of this time, this morning, we’re able to monitor three Chinese vessels with a distance of 210 nautical miles east of Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte via AIS,” said Tarriela.

Chinese military sends 'patrols' around contested South China Sea shoal

“So it’s outside our EEZ. However we are still monitoring itong paggalaw nitong Chinese research vessels na ito because at some point it entered our EEZ noong mga nakaraang araw.”

(We are still monitoring the movements of these Chinese research vessels because they entered our EEZ in recent days)

“Basically dumaan lang siya talaga. It never loitered. Pumasok siya lumiko ulit,” Tarriela added.

(Basically, it just passed through. It entered then left) 

He added that the research vessels could be conducting marine scientific studies, possibly related to tides, currents, or seabed documentation, though their exact intentions remain unclear.

“Well, these are research vessels. They are different ways puwede siya maggawa. It’s probably conducting documentation of data for current, the tide, and even the seabed but we can only speculate as long as hindi natin alam kung ano talaga ang intention,” Tarriela noted.

The PCG has yet to confirm whether these research activities have been authorized by the Philippine government.

“For the marine scientific research na ito, this should have been approved by the national government and the DFA should also be giving clearance dito sa mga marine scientific research ng ibang bansa," he said, adding the PCG is documenting the presence of the ships for the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea.

"And it is for the DFA to take action into this and to ask whether there was clearance of it was approved by the national government," he added.

Meanwhile, the PCG has also been monitoring a significant reduction in the number of Chinese maritime militia vessels near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea.

At the peak of their presence, nearly 90 vessels were spotted, but recent reports indicate this number has dropped to around 30.

Tarriela suggested that the decrease could be due to adverse weather conditions, which may have prompted the vessels to anchor near the island.

PH says it's under pressure from China to cede claims in South China Sea

He emphasized that the PCG and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continue to challenge the presence of these vessels, reaffirming the Philippines’ sovereignty over the area.

“[W]e are religiously challenging them and informing them it is part of the territorial sea of the Philippines, that they do not have jurisdiction over these waters and they have to respect our sovereignty,” Tarriela affirmed.

DREDGER VESSEL IN BATAAN

On the other hand, the PCG recounted an incident involving a dredger vessel in Mariveles, Bataan, which was found to be carrying Chinese nationals without proper documentation.

During a pre-departure inspection, PCG personnel discovered 13 Chinese nationals aboard the vessel, including some who were not part of the ship’s crew.

“We boarded the vessel [at] nakita namin na meron ditong nine na Chinese nationals which is supposedly hindi sila part ng crew nung barko na ‘to and when we conducted a more detailed inspection sa mga crew, may nakita kaming four na nagtatago na Chinese national. So in total, over 13 Chinese nationals na na discover kami dito sa barko na ‘to,” he revealed.

The dredger was set to depart Bataan for a dredging operation in San Felipe, Zambales, but the local government of San Felipe confirmed that no permit had been issued for such activities in the area.

The PCG has since intensified inspections of dredging vessels operating in Manila Bay and surrounding areas, with special focus on ensuring compliance with regulations and preventing the presence of illegal foreign nationals.