MANILA -- A China Coast Guard vessel “dangerously blocked” a Philippine Coast Guard vessel during a maritime patrol near Bajo de Masinloc on Monday, according to PCG Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela. 

He said the Chinese Coast Guard “increased its speed and maneuvered past the port side of the BRP Cabra, dangerously blocking its navigation route.” Tarriela noted that the incident shows the CCG's “non-compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) and reflects a blatant disregard for safety at sea.” 

“Just yesterday morning, we once again experienced dangerous maneuver coming from China Coast Guard 2161. It came very close and passed through the port side of BRP Cabra and then eventually blocked its navigation path,” he said on Tuesday.

Chinese research vessel spotted off Batanes: PCG 

“This is a clear indication of the China Coast Guard not adhering to the rules-based order… And every time we challenge these China Coast Guard vessels they will always respond that what they are doing and the reason of their presence there is that they are also conducting a legitimate maritime law enforcement, which we are countering, telling them that the China Coast Guard do not have a legal authority to conduct such maritime law enforcement," Tarriela said.

He said the area falls within the Philippines' own exclusive economic zone in accordance with the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, the 2016 arbitral award, and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.

Despite the incident, the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP Cabra, under the command of LCDR Hanna Yanez continued to actively patrol the waters off Zambales on Tuesday in an effort to “thwart attempts by the China Coast Guard to normalize their illegal patrols within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”

CHINESE RESEARCH VESSEL 

The PCG also monitored Chinese research vessel Zhong Shan Da Xue off the waters near Batanes on Tuesday morning. 

Tarriela said the PCG Islander attempted to establish radio communication with the vessel multiple times, but there was no response. In the radio communication, PCG aviators said the Chinese vessel lacks the authority to conduct marine scientific research within the country’s EEZ. 

“This morning, we were once again conducting an MDA (maritime domain awareness) flight, and we were able to monitor and document the presence of this Chinese research vessel at a distance of 85 nautical miles off the coast of Itbayat, Batanes. The Coast Guard pilots conducted radio challenge towards the Chinese research vessel on an hourly basis, as we document their presence and monitor their activities. Unfortunately, out of more than 10 times that we conducted radio challenge, the Chinese research vessel never responded,” Tarriela said. 

“Our next step in countering the presence of this Chinese research vessel is, again, these are operational details of that I cannot disclose,” he added.

40 Chinese navy, coast guard ships monitored in West Philippine Sea in March 

“Such marine scientific research is a violation of our own exclusive economic zone. Because the Philippines has the legal rights, sovereign rights, to conduct research over these waters. And China, since it's too far from them, they do not have legal authority to conduct such MSR,” Tarriela noted.

“We document those illegal activities of the Chinese government, whether it's the Chinese research vessel or the Chinese Coast Guard, and then we report that to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea… It's up to the DFA whether it would merit a diplomatic protest or the DOJ if it would merit a legal action,” he added.