Beijing’s statement that its coast guard recently drove away a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel from Bajo de Masinloc was “false.”

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, asserted in reaction to a Global Times X (Twitter) post quoting the China Coast Guard.

The CCG claimed it “repelled, in accordance with the law, Ship 3002 of the Philippine BFAR when the vessel illegally intruded into waters adjacent to China’s Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea.”

“This statement (by the CCG) is inaccurate, Tarriela said in his own X post. “The BFAR vessel, the BRP Datu Sanday, continue to patrol the waters of Bajo de Masinloc. Currently, the BFAR vessel is actively ensuring the security of Filipino fishermen in the area.”

He said some Filipino reporters were embedded with the BFAR team, and their “forthcoming reports upon completion of the mission will confirm the accuracy of our statement.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had given a standing order to the PCG and the BFAR to maintain the country’s presence in the West Philippine Sea amid China’s continuing aggressive actions in the waters that belong to the Philippines.

Bajo de Masinloc, known as Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, is a common fishing ground for Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen.

Some foreign fishermen have been suspected of using cyanide to fish, endangering the corals that serve as habitat for the fish.

Recently, the PCG Palawan District delivered aid to Filipino fishermen on prolonged fishing forays in the WPS.

The crew of the BRP Sindangan and BRP Cabra provided the fishermen aboard the fishing boats, John Jerry, Maricris and Tessie, with food packs, drinking water and medicines.

A 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling affirmed the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone in the WPS and declared baseless China’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. The SCS overlaps the WPS.