The presence of the China Coast Guard (CCG) persists despite the effort of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to block them and assist the four main vessels of the second civilian resupply mission of the Atin Ito Coalition to the Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea on May 15, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday conducted its own maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight in areas of the West Philippine Sea, just as it continued to assert the country’s sovereignty against China Coast Guard vessels. 

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG’s spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea, said the MDA flight was ordered by PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan days following the dangerous maneuver of a Chinese helicopter on a Bureau of Fisheries and Resources plane in the vicinity of Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal).

PCG pushes China's 'monster ship' further away from Zambales coast 

“The PCG will conduct its own MDA flight. This will be the coast guard aircraft and we’ll conduct MDA flight from Pangasinan to Zambales,” Tarriela told reporters in a forum. 

“It’s the routine MDA flights na ang ginagawa natin, ang objective ng MDA flights is to assert our position na this is our own exclusive economic zone, and at the same time, to assert na this is our routine EEZ,” he said.

“We are going as far as Pangasinan. Right now we are monitoring the movement of China Coast Guard vessel 5303, 80 nautical miles off the coast of Bolinao, Pangasinan,” he added.

Group pushing West Philippines Sea inclusion in school curriculum: 'Edukasyon, hindi lang emosyon' 

Aside from CCG vessel 5303, the PCG also monitored 2 Chinese vessels off the coast of Zambales – CCG vessels 3301 and 3105. 

This prompted the PCG to deploy 4 PCG vessels off the coast of Pangasinan and Zambales –  BRP Teresa Magbanua, BRP Bagacay, and BRP Cabra. 

“We are also directly challenging the vessels na nakikita natin, and in those instances na mayroon tayong makikita na  CCG vessel, magde-deploy din tayo ng PCG vessel to  directly challenge and to counter the presence of the CCG,” he said. 

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. The shoal, however, has been under China's control since 2012.

China still rules over Scarborough Shoal, say Filipino fishermen 

China claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety despite an international ruling in 2016 concluding this has no legal basis. 

Tarriela earlier told reporters Tuesday's incident was the first time a People's Liberation Army Navy helicopter had been used against a Philippine patrol plane in such a manner.