Chinese Coast Guard and People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were seen near Bajo de Masinloc during a Philippine government mission to deliver fuel assistance to Filipino fishermen on Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Wednesday. In a statement, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, said a Chinese research vessel operating near the shoal was also seen. “The mission was completed without any untoward incident,” Tarriela said.
Source: GMA News via Philippine Daily Post
The mission was led by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) under the Kadiwa ng Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM) programme, which provides fuel and ice to Filipino fishermen and purchases their fresh catch directly at sea to lower operating costs and sustain their presence in the West Philippine Sea, GMA News reported. It was carried out by the BFAR vessel MV Mamalakaya, supported by the PCG vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) and a PCG Islander 251 aircraft, which flew a maritime domain awareness flight to protect the fishermen and the BFAR vessel. PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan directed the deployment of the Coast Guard's sea and air assets, the PCG said.
On the arrival of MV Mamalakaya, around 40 to 50 Filipino fishing boats operating in the traditional fishing ground approached the vessel and lined up to receive fuel assistance, the PCG said. Bajo de Masinloc, also known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered by Manila to lie within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a route for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce — yaani about $3 lakh crore of trade a year — including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, GMA News noted. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines over China's claims, saying they had “no legal basis”; China has refused to recognise the decision. The GMA report carried no Chinese comment on Tuesday's mission, and Awaaz Punjab reports the vessel sightings as the PCG's account.
What happens next is the pattern, not a single sailing: Manila has been running regular KBBM fuel-and-ice missions to keep its fishermen present at the shoal, and each mission is shadowed by Chinese vessels. A mission completed without incident lowers the immediate temperature, but it does not change the underlying dispute over who controls the waters around Bajo de Masinloc.