MANILA, Philippines — Chinese ships were yet again spotted off Luzon, tailing Philippine vessels sailing off for Bajo de Masinloc on Friday morning, according to a maritime expert.
“China seems determined to intercept and escort any Philippine ship moving in Scarborough Shoal’s general direction,” said former United States Air Force official and ex-Defense Attaché Ray Powell on X (formerly Twitter).
Powell said China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5303 was escorting Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship BRP Datu Matanam Taradapit on its way back to the Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan.
“The Philippines’ BFAR ship BRP Datu Matanam Taradapit is on its way back to Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan after checking in on Reed Bank, Iroquois Reef, and the PH bases at Lawak and Patag Islands,” Powell said.
“It has picked up a Chinese ‘escort’ (China Coast Guard 5303) as it passed Scarborough to make sure it goes home and doesn’t decide to visit again,” he said.
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Powell also reported that another Chinese vessel, CCG 3306, was spotted just outside Manila Bay allegedly waiting for PCG ship BRP Cape San Agustin to come out.
“A second Chinese escort has been assigned to the PCG’s BRP Cape San Agustin. CCG 3306 waits just outside Manila Bay for it to emerge,” Powell said.
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Powell noted that the presence of Chinese vessels in Bajo de Masinloc, a flashpoint of maritime altercations between Manila and Beijing, has been fewer now compared to the observed increase in the past days.
Last Monday, a Chinese Navy warship collided with a CCG vessel as it pursued PCG’s BRP Suluan then on a mission to aid Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc.
PCG Spokesman for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Jay Tarriela said the collision happened due to “speed miscalculations.”
Four CCG personnel were presumed to have fallen overboard after the collision but the Chinese government has yet to confirm what happened to four missing personnel.
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The Manila Times has sought for the comment of PCG on the new Chinese presence but has yet to receive a reply.
