PCG: Latest incident over Bajo de Masinloc is China military's ‘most dangerous’ act in WPS

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)  said Wednesday the flight of the Chinese military helicopter three meters close to a Philippine aircraft over Bajo de Masinloc last Tuesday was its “most dangerous” action so far.

In a press conference, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said that the Chinese military’s move was a “higher level of escalatory action.”

“This is the most dangerous dahil ginawa nila ito while our personnel together with some of our media friends were actually on board the BFAR aircraft. And in terms of the level of dangerous act na ginawa nila, para sa akin, ito ang pinakadelikado sa lahat,” Tarriela said.

(And in terms of the level of dangerous acts that they have done, for me, this is the most dangerous of all.)

“I agree with you when you said that the helicopter’s dangerous action was considered to be, at some point, a higher level of escalatory action compared to the past harassment that they did,” he added.

Tarriela noted this latest episode was the closest approach made by Chinese forces to a Filipino aircraft.

“Three meters and ten meters, this is the closest that the China Coast Guard, China PLA Navy helicopter came close to a Philippine aircraft like what we had yesterday,” he said.

Aside from the close approach, he said the helicopter of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) also tailed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft for over 40 minutes.

Tarriela added that two PLAN warships also sent radio challenges against the BFAR plane.

On Tuesday, Tarriela reported the BFAR aircraft was conducting a maritime domain awareness flight around 7 a.m. when the incident occurred.

Coast Guard personnel and photojournalists were onboard the plane when the PLAN helicopter with tail number 68 approached at 8:39 a.m., coming as close as three meters to the BFAR aircraft’s port or left side from a higher altitude.

According to the PCG official, the Chinese chopper’s maneuver posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers. He added that it also violated the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.

In a statement, the PLA Southern Theater Command said the Philippines was spreading "false narratives" as regards the incident.

"On February 18, a Philippine C-208 reconnaissance aircraft illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission of the Chinese government. Moreover, the Philippine side spread false narratives by talking black into white," spokesperson Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli said.

The Philippines is set to file a diplomatic protest over the incident.

'China's inherent territory'

In a statement Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy said, "Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. Without the approval of the Chinese government, the Philippine aircraft illegally intruded into Chinese airspace. Forces of the theater command have to resolutely safeguard our national sovereignty and security." 

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Bajo de Masinloc is also referred to as Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal. Beijing calls the area "Huangyan Dao."

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by Manila as the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. —with a report from Michaela del Callar/RF, GMA Integrated News