China shoots flares at patrolling BFAR plane

MANILA, Philippines — China shot flares at least thrice at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane conducting maritime patrol with the Philippine Coast Guard in Zamora (Subi) Reef last Thursday, according to an exclusive report by GMA News.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela has yet to confirm such report to journalists who did not join the latest mission to the West Philippine Sea.

However, Beijing’s foreign ministry said yesterday in a statement that China took “countermeasures” against two Philippine military aircraft that flew into its airspace over the South China Sea. 

“On Aug. 22, two Philippine military aircraft trespassed into the airspace near the Nansha Islands, including Zhubi Jiao (Subi Reef), where China is stationed,” the foreign ministry told AFP in a statement.

It added that “the Chinese side took necessary countermeasures in accordance with the law, in order to protect its own sovereignty and security.”

The foreign ministry did not specify what types of measures China took, describing the actions as “professional, restrained, and standardized.”

Meanwhile, the PCG spotted a “hospital ship” from China, as well as a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel, 24 Chinese maritime militia vessels, a Chinese rescue vessel and four Vietnamese vessels around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, according to a report from ABS-CBN News.

Tarriela took a swipe at officials who allegedly block the government’s “transparency initiative” that exposes China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

In his post on X yesterday, the spokesman for the PCG in the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) wrote those “hold(ing) a position in the government and are engaged in either blatant or subtle attempts to hinder our efforts for transparency in the West Philippine Sea… are more reprehensible than those who opt to stay silent and refrain from commenting on our fight in the West Philippine Sea.”

He did not name any government official.

Tarriela maintained the transparency campaign, wherein government includes the media on board missions to the West Philippine Sea, “has inspired a strong sense of patriotism among Filipinos and brought attention to the global community regarding China’s illegal activities.”

“The international community does not view transparency as a form of provocation. Instead, they recognize it as a commendable effort to hold China accountable for its ongoing and egregious violations of international law,” he said.

He added it is the government’s “duty to future generations of Filipinos” to “present the factual narrative.”