China vessels swarm Panatag anew – PCG

MANILA, Philippines — Chinese vessels – including a warship – were again seen swarming around Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported yesterday.

An air patrol over the area by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) revealed the presence of five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues.

Four Chinese maritime militia ships were detected at distances of 2.7 nautical miles and 8.69 nautical miles, both southeast from the area considered as a traditional fishing area of Filipinos.

In addition, there was a warship of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA)-Navy with bow number 574 seen around 25 nautical miles southeast of Bajo de Masinloc.

At an online briefing, Tarriela also reported that PCG patrol vessels BRP Bagacay and BRP Cabra, four BFAR ships and 26 Filipino fishing boats were also around Bajo de Masinloc.

The two PCG vessels kept distance of 13 nautical miles southwest of Bajo de Masinloc, he noted.

“The reason why we kept such a distance was because the PCG and BFAR vessels stopped at that position to give away fuel subsidy and food items to the Filipino fishing boats,” according to Tarriela.

The information gathered by the BFAR in its air patrol was contrary to a post on X by former US Air Force official and defense attaché Ray Powell that “BRP Bagacay & BRP Datu Pagbuaya have been intercepted by 2 China Coast Guard as a third & 6 maritime militia ships set up blocking positions.”

Powell could not properly monitor the operation of the PCG and BFAR because “he is just basing on the movement of the AIS (automatic identification system),” hence “he doesn’t have a clear picture,” he added.

Tarriela also disclosed that CCG once again installed floating barriers at the entrance of Bajo de Masinloc, which he said were “placed every time Chinese forces monitor the presence of Philippine government vessels.”

Furthermore, a PLA-Navy helicopter appeared to follow the BFAR aircraft that conducted the air patrol – from a distance of three nautical miles, he added.

Last month, a PLA-Navy aircraft came as close as three meters to a BFAR aircraft conducting patrol.

“I’d like to believe the PLA-Navy learned from the backlash from the international community,” he said.

‘Mysterious’

Meanwhile, the PCG said in a statement that eight Chinese crew members of a vessel in the anchorage area in Manila Bay may have disembarked “mysteriously” from the ship, the Coast Guard said.

In a statement, the PCG said it discovered the incident after conducting joint inspection with other agencies of three foreign-manned vessels last March 20. One of the vessels, MV Huagan 98, was supposed to have Chinese crew based on the ship’s records, but none were found during inspection.

“Authorities found no Chinese nationals onboard. However, a vessel calendar indicated the presence of seven Chinese crew members as of 19 March 2025. A review of the logbook revealed that eight Chinese nationals mysteriously disembarked before dawn on 20 March 2025,” the PCG said.

“Despite existing MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) regulations limiting foreign crew members to supernumerary roles for a single voyage without prolonged stay onboard, all Chinese nationals were assigned official designations,” it added. The ship’s unnamed captain reportedly denied the presence of Chinese nationals on board.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is set to summon officials of the shipping company involved to explain misrepresentation issues.

Authorities also took note of a missing Domestic Shipping Operation Certificate and raised safety and security concerns due to non-functioning close circuit television.

The PCG, DOLE, MARINA, Bureau of Immigration and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency also reportedly noted deficiencies in two other foreign ships checked at the anchorage area last Thursday, namely the MV An Da Kang and MV Shingping.

According to the PCG, the An Da Kang was found to have illegal manning and crew turnover violations.

The Chinese crew members were reportedly authorized to work in Zambales but were found operating in Manila waters. The vessel also reportedly did not have a valid Domestic Shipping Operation Certificate.

As for the Shingping, authorities said its crew had questionable designations. There were reportedly 12 Chinese nationals onboard the Shingping, all designated as “technicians.” Their designation did not match their Alien Employment Permits. DOLE said such discrepancy could lead to the revocation of their AEPs.

“The PCG and its partner agencies remain steadfast in ensuring compliance with Philippine maritime laws. Appropriate legal actions will be pursued against the erring shipping companies and vessel operators found violating labor and immigration policies,” the Coast Guard said. — Evelyn Macairan