MANILA, Philippines — Chinese maritime forces allegedly obstructed Philippine personnel on Sunday, October 4, during an inter-agency operation against a foreign boat suspected of blast fishing inside Philippine territorial waters near Pag-asa Island.
Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, reported that Joint Task Unit Pag-asa spotted a foreign fishing vessel and smaller craft allegedly using explosives around 7:20 a.m. near Sandy Cays 2 and 3, roughly three nautical miles west of Pag-asa Island.
A joint response force was formed comprising the Coast Guard District Kalayaan Island Group, the Philippine Navy and its Marine contingent, and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group. The units deployed four vessels—a PCG high-speed response boat (HSRB-019), two Navy inflatable boats, and a PNP Maritime Group craft—leaving Pag-asa’s sheltered port at 9:50 a.m.
Shortly after departure, two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships with bow numbers “5102” and “21581” moved to intercept the Philippine team, issuing radio challenges and blaring horns within Philippine territorial waters.
Upon reaching the target vessel about 500 meters east-southeast of Sandy Cay 2 around 10:00 a.m., the smaller craft had already reboarded the mother ship. The foreign vessel ignored repeated calls to halt and fled southwest toward Zamora (Subi) Reef.
During the pursuit, CCG vessel 21581 maneuvered to cut off the Philippine authorities, coming within roughly ten yards of HSRB-019. Tensions escalated further at 10:13 a.m. when a People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter (tail number 09) circled low over the Philippine boats four times.
citing safety risks, the Philippine team aborted the chase around 10:23 a.m., approximately 1.2 nautical miles east-southeast of Sandy Cay 5. All personnel returned safely to Pag-asa Island by 10:48 a.m.
The PCG stressed that the mission was a routine law enforcement activity targeted strictly at destructive fishing methods and was not directed at any foreign state. The details will be submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs for appropriate diplomatic action.
Tarriela emphasized that dynamite fishing violates the Philippine Fisheries Code due to the severe damage it causes to marine ecosystems and local livelihoods, rejecting any assertion of Chinese authority in the area.
”The China Coast Guard has no law enforcement authority in the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island,” Tarriela said.
”By obstructing Philippine authorities, the CCG did not protect the marine environment. It made it easier for a suspected violator to escape,” he added.