Chinese vessels seen near Pagasa Island in West Philippine Sea

A group of Chinese vessels was spotted in the waters near Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday morning, GMA News' Jonathan Andal reported on Twitter.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said Thursday 45 Chinese maritime militia ships had been spotted in Philippine-held Pagasa Island last week, the highest number so far this year.

Asked if the government is considering filing democratic protest, Esperon said the Department of Foreign Affairs is doing so "on a daily basis."

Earlier this week, DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said China Coast Guard vessels blocked and used water cannon on two Philippine ships on their way to Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

China on Thursday said its coast guard upheld its sovereignty when the Philippine vessels intruded into what it claimed was its waters.

China makes massive territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, where the Phililpines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

Manila has renamed parts of the waters that fall within its territory as West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, following a case filed by the Philippines, invalidated China's sweeping claims over the waters. Beijing does not recognize the ruling. —KG, GMA News