The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) drove away an unauthorised foreign fishing vessel from the territorial waters of Pag-asa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan, on October 25, 2026, the agency said. Personnel stationed on the island spotted the vessel approximately 2.7 nautical miles west of Pag-asa, near Sandy Cay, well within the Philippines' 12-nautical-mile territorial sea, and first issued radio warnings directing it to leave.
Source: The Chronicle (Philippines), reporting the PCG
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, said the vessel was Vietnamese, according to Screencap's report of his statement. Later that afternoon the PCG deployed High-Speed Response Boat HSRB-019 with a law enforcement team, which used a loudhailer to tell the vessel that fishing inside Pag-asa's territorial sea is not permitted and ordered it to vacate the area. HSRB-019 then escorted the vessel at a safe distance, continuing to issue warnings until it was outside the territorial sea, and returned to the island without any untoward incident, Tarriela said.
Source: Screencap (Philippines), reporting PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela
During the operation, China Coast Guard vessel 21581 and two of its rigid-hull inflatable boats, which have been staying near Pag-asa, tailed HSRB-019 and closely observed the law-enforcement activity, the PCG said. The PCG said its team carried out the operation unhindered, but stressed that the China Coast Guard has no lawful authority to exercise any policing role within the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island, and that its persistent presence there is being closely monitored and documented.
Source: Cebuanos News, reporting the PCG
The PCG said the operation was its seventh since September 28 to drive away foreign fishing vessels — including Chinese maritime militia vessels near Kota and Lawak islands between September 28 and October 23 — unlawfully operating near Philippine-held features in the Kalayaan group. It said unauthorised foreign fishing in Philippine territorial waters violates domestic law, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
Source: The Chronicle (Philippines), reporting the PCG
Pag-asa, known internationally as Thitu Island, is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan and is home to a Filipino civilian community. The PCG said that under Commandant Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan it plans to deploy additional high-speed response boats to strengthen patrols in the group, and that the operation was consistent with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s commitment to defending Philippine territory and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law and the 2016 arbitral award — an award China does not recognise.