One of two China Coast Guard vessels spotted off Pangasinan on Feb. 2, 2025. Philippine Coast Guard/Jay Tarriela/X

MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said two China Coast Guard vessels off Pangasinan made Beijing’s closest deployment yet to the Philippine coastline.

The PCG on February 1 detected CCG vessels 3301 and 3104 about 34 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan, within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). They were spotted through the agency’s Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) program.

This prompted the PCG to deploy its Islander aircraft to visually identify the Chinese ships and initiate a radio challenge.

In response to the incursion, the PCG dispatched two of its 44-meter vessels, the BRP Cabra and the BRP Bagacay, to Bolinao.

“We believe na China wants to normalize their illegal deployment of China Coast Guard vessels within our exclusive economic zone,” PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela told reporters in an interview in Manila.

“Dahil dito, the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan has expressed his commitment na this kind of illegal actions of the China Coast Guard will not be normalized because we are going to remain vigilant, at the same time, ensure that the tension will not escalate,” he added.

Tarriela noted the two CCG vessels were continuously moving, unlike Beijing’s “monster ship” which continued to linger near Zambales province.

“Yes, that was the closest na masasabi natin. But again, the difference of these two China Coast Guard vessels with that of the China Coast Guard monster ship, itong pagdikit nila ng 34 nautical miles yesterday, ay continuous. Kumbaga, na-detect natin silang lumapit ng ganun, but [they] never stayed there for a long time. Dire-diretso lang [silang] nagta-traverse ng movement,” Tarriela said.

As of Monday morning, the CCG 3301 and 3104 were monitored 70 to 75 nautical miles off Luna, La Union.

“These two [Philippine] Coast Guard vessels reported that they are still currently monitoring and challenging the presence of these two CCG vessels,” Tarriela noted.

“It started na galing [ang mga] ito sa Mindoro. From Mindoro, umakyat ng Pangasinan, at ngayon nasa La Union,” he continued. “We still don’t know where will be the final area na kung saan maglalagi itong CCG vessels na ito, but our two PCG vessels will ensure na bubuntutan natin [ang mga] ito.”

The official also said that they have not received reports of fishermen who have seen or were harassed by the two CCG vessels.

“Wala tayong natanggap na impormasyon sa locals from Mindoro or even from Pangasinan. Ang nag-confirm lang talaga nito, initially, of course, is the DVD, which prompted the commandant to deploy our CG Islander,” Tarriela said.

MONSTER SHIP

The PCG official said they have pushed the monster ship—the China Coast Guard’s biggest vessel—farther away from the coast of Zambales.

The CCG 5901 is now approximately 120 nautical miles away from the coastline and nearer Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, which has been under Beijing’s control since 2012.

“For more than 30 days already, our PCG vessels were able to push them away from our coastline. Sa pagpapalitan ni BRP Gabriela Silang, BRP Suluan, BRP Cabra at ngayon, BRP Teresa Magbanua, ang ating brave men and women of the PCG were very successful in challenging the illegal deployment of the CCG vessels off the coast of Zambales,” Tarriela said.

The monster ship was first detected 54 nautical miles away from Capones Island on January 4.

STRATEGIC DEPLOYMENT OF ASSETS

With China’s deployment of its ships closer to the Philippine coast this year, Tarriela said the PCG was “strategically managing our limited resources.”

The official shares the view of maritime expert Atty. Jay Batongbacal that Beijing could be aiming to deplete Manila’s resources by sending its coast guard ships to the Philippine EEZ.

“Well, it's an open book that we have a very limited number of assets. That can also be a possibility. On the part of PCG, we are strategically managing our limited resources. For example, we cannot commit our two 97-meter vessels all at one time sa Bajo de Masinloc, because another 97-meter has to stay in Palawan,” Tarriela said.

He went on, “We know that the intention of China is to deplete our water assets. That's why we need to be very careful in allocating strategically the deployment of Coast Guard assets.”

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Tarriela reiterated that despite Beijing’s continued aggression, Manila will not be the reason to escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

“We are not instigators of war and we are a peace-loving nation. The mere fact that the Philippine Coast Guard vessels ang ginagamit natin sa pagdideploy dito sa mga illegal presence ng China Coast Guard shows the clear intention of the Philippine government. We are going to resolve these differences in a very peaceful manner, and we should not come up with other aggressive means para tumaas ang tensyon na ito. That remains to be applicable until today,” he said.

“Yun nga yung irony. I think it’s not just the Philippine government na nagsasabi nito, na iba ang sinasabi nila [China], iba rin ang ginagalaw nila. This has been our concern with the People's Republic of China for a long time already,” he added.

“For example, dito sa radio challenge, sinasabi nila we should come up with a very diplomatic way in settling our differences, at the same time, sinasabihin nila sa radio challenge nila, they are not recognizing the 2016 arbitral award. So, on the one hand, they want to have a peaceful settlement ng issue, but on the other, they are not recognizing the arbitral award, and even pushing the narrative na sila mismo ang may authority to conduct part-time law enforcement dito sa loob ng ating exclusive economic zone. And our response to that, we always say no,” Tarriela said.

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