In a tense encounter in the West Philippine Sea, two Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels, BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw, were compelled to abandon their marine scientific research and sand sampling activities at the Pag-Asa cays due to aggressive actions by the China Coast Guard (CCG) and a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) helicopter on Friday morning. The incident involved CCG ships 4106, 5103, and 4202, along with four smaller CCG boats and a PLAN helicopter identified by tail number 24, as the Filipino ships approached the West Philippine Sea features. The BFAR’s mission aimed to research and gather samples from Sandy Cay and three sandbanks, located approximately five to six nautical miles from Pag-Asa Island. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela condemned the continuous harassment and safety disregard by Chinese maritime forces, which led to the suspension of the survey operations. The CCG’s aggressive maneuvers were described as a blatant violation of international maritime collision prevention regulations. Additionally, the PLAN helicopter’s low-altitude hovering over BFAR’s rigid hull inflatable boats created dangerous conditions for the personnel due to the propeller wash. Tarriela labeled these actions as aggressive and escalatory during a news forum in Quezon City. This marks the second instance this year where a PLAN helicopter has been used to hover over Philippine government assets, following an earlier incident off Zambales. The Philippines has been regularly conducting sand sampling in the area due to the degraded state of the Pag-Asa Island cays. In response to the incident, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ed De Vega indicated that another diplomatic protest against China is forthcoming.
China Coast Guard Forces Philippine Research Ships to Halt Operations in West Philippine Sea
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