2 China Coast Guard ships intercepted 2 PCG, BFAR vessels near Bajo de Masinloc —expert

Two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships intercepted a pair of Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels on Monday morning, according to a maritime expert.

“Two PCG and one BFAR ships deployed 25-30 [nautical miles] east of Scarborough Shoal today,” former US Air Force official and former defense attaché Ray Powell said on X (formerly Twitter).

Two ????????#Philippines Coast Guard & one Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources ships deployed 25-30nm east of Scarborough Shoal today. BRP Bagacay & BRP Datu Pagbuaya have been intercepted by 2 ????????#China Coast Guard as a third & 6 maritime militia ships set up blocking positions. pic.twitter.com/dFQOiYTTCM

— Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) March 24, 2025

“BRP Bagacay and BRP Datu Pagbuaya have been intercepted by two CCG as a third and six maritime militia ships set up blocking positions,” he added.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the PCG and BFAR as well the Chinese Embassy in Manila on the matter but they have yet to respond as of posting time.

The disputed Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal, is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales.

It is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

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 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."

Beijing has refused to recognize the decision. —Joviland Rita/RF, GMA Integrated News