West PH Sea: More warships, but fewer vessels from China spotted

The Philippine Navy has monitored a slight uptick in the number of Chinese warships in West Philippine Sea (WPS) even as the total number of vessels from China dropped significantly over the past week.

Seventeen warships were seen in the WPS, up from the previous count of 16, the Philippine Navy, according to the Philippine Navy on Tuesday.

From Sept. 24 to 30, the following People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels of China were seen in the following WPS features:

• Bajo de Masinloc — one PLAN
• Ayungin Shoal — two PLANs
• Pagasa Islands — two PLANs
• Parola Island — one PLAN
• Likas Island — one PLAN
• Lawak Island — one PLAN
• Panata Island — one PLAN
• Rizal Reef — one PLAN
• Escoda Shoal — five PLANs
• Iroquois Reef — two PLANs

Most of the Chinese warships were spotted in Escoda Shoal, where a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel recently started patrolling as a replacement for the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Teresa Magbanua.

After five months of being anchored at the area, the BRP Teresa Magbanua was pulled out from Escoda Shoal due to its questionable seaworthiness, lack of supplies for the crew, and the bad weather condition.

BRP Teresa Magbanua was stationed in Escoda Shoal from April to September amid reports of China's reclamation activities in the area.

Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, is located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kms off Palawan and is within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Aside from PLAN vessels, the Philippine Navy also monitored 131 Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels, 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, and three research vessels in the following WPS features:

• Bajo de Masinloc — five CCGs, six CMMs, two research ships
• Ayungin Shoal — 10 CCGs, 12 CMMs
• Pagasa Islands — two CCGs, 46 CMMs
• Kota Island — six CMMs
• Likas Island — one CMM
• Panata Island — four CMMs
• Rizal Reef — one CCG
• Escoda Shoal — 10 CCGs, 12 CMMs
• Julian Felipe Reef — 16 CMMs
• Iroquois Reef — 28 CMMs

Overall, the total number of Chinese vessels in WPS in the past week decreased to 178 from 251, which was a record-high number this year.

"These are raw figures based on a one-week monitoring, it is too early to attribute the decrease to any particular event," Philippine Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told reporters.

"We have to be prepared for the 'long game' in the WPS and look at the strategic or bigger picture. Amid all of these, your Navy and your AFP will contribute performing its mandate of ensuring the integrity of our national territory," he added.

The development comes after the defense forces of the Philippines, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States held Saturday a joint maritime activity in the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Southern Theatre Command of the People's Liberation Army promptly issued a statement also on Saturday saying Chinese air and sea forces were conducting maneuvers at Scarborough Shoal.

Meanwhile on Monday, two Chinese warships tailed two vessels of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and pointed lasers at a plane of the same agency in the WPS.

The incident happened near Hasa-Hasa Shoal (Half Moon Shoal) during a maritime patrol of the BFAR in the WPS.

Tensions continue as China claims almost the entire South China Sea (SCS), including the portion the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea.

The SCS is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Aside from the Philippines, China also has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's massive claims in the SCS, saying that it has "no legal basis."

China has not recognized the decision. — VDV, GMA Integrated News