Navy confirms WPS signal jamming

Navy confirms WPS signal jamming | Daily Tribune

Navy spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, confirmed this yesterday when asked if the Armed Forces of the Philippines had experienced similar communication disruptions earlier reported by the Philippine Coast Guard.

Among the operations subjected to communication disruptions are routine rotational and resupply, or ro-re, missions to the WPS, Trinidad said.

“When it comes to interference with our electronic capabilities, I have discussed this with the commander of the naval forces,” said Trinidad, adding that the disruptions had been going on for three or four years.

He, however, clarified that the AFP has yet to identify the culprits behind the electronic communication interference or jamming.

Nonetheless, Trinidad noted that China’s aggressive activities in the WPS, which overlaps the South China Sea being claimed nearly wholly by Beijing, “have been going on for quite some time now.”

The Philippine government has accused Chinese coast guard, navy, and militia ships of harassing Philippine vessels in the WPS, including through aggressive actions like blocking movements and the use of water cannons and military-grade lasers that temporarily blinded PCG crews.

The latest incident involved the harassment of a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel, the BRP Sanday, as it was delivering fuel and food to Filipino fishermen at Scarborough Shoal.

Over the weekend, Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG spokesperson for the WPS, said the China Coast Guard jammed the tracking signals of Philippine ships recently operating in the disputed area.

Tarriela said the CCG’s interference briefly prevented Philippine vessels from broadcasting their positions at sea.

He added that the PCG observed jamming during its rotational deployments with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources at Bajo de Masinloc, or Scarborough Shoal, this month.

‘The passage of the bill, if signed into law, would afford us a clearer perspective of the maritime domain. Thus, our governance and preserving the maritime entitlements will be much better.’

“We assume that they do the jamming every time they issue their statements that they repelled our vessels,” Tarriela said.

Not mentioning China, Trinidad confirmed that cyber interference with AFP and Philippine Navy communications “does exist.”

“It has been going on for the past three or four years, maybe even earlier. They have noted an increase in cyber interference, electronic interference, jamming, and stuff like that — not only with equipment on ships but also on land-based communication equipment,” he said.

“And this usually happens or is noted during the preparation stages for ro-re missions. So yes, there have been activities observed to interfere with our internal equipment,” he added.

Trinidad, however, noted that such unidentified cyber interference had “minimal effects” on Philippine vessels and “does not even delay” maritime operations.

“Because the interference with the electronic equipment does not reach a stage where they interfere with the navigation, these are more to the communications on land, cell phones. But on the overall impact on the operation, it is not really significant,” he stressed.

Trinidad said the foreign vessels were working more on “deliberately attempting to prevent” Philippine vessels “from communicating ship-to-ship or to land.”

“It’s not on the AIS (Automatic Identification System); it’s on the communications on the ships and land communication,” he pointed out. “Not only with our communications aboard ship or on land but also cell phones.”

Trinidad assured that the AFP and the Philippine Navy have been executing safe and secure communication protocols amid the interference.

Meanwhile, the enactment of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act will enable the AFP to better protect the country’s territorial waters, Trinidad said.

“This will afford the Philippine Navy and the armed forces a better approach to governing our maritime zones, the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept mentioned by the Secretary of Defense. It would mean that the Navy and the AFP would have more forces to protect and to preserve our maritime entitlements,” Trinidad told reporters.

“The passage of the bill, if signed into law, would afford us a clearer perspective of the maritime domain. Thus, our governance and preserving the maritime entitlements will be much better,” he added.

The Senate on Monday approved the proposed measure seeking the establishment of Philippine maritime zones.

Senate Bill 2492, or the proposed Philippine Maritime Zones Act of 2023, garnered 23 affirmative votes, zero negative votes, and no abstentions from the lawmakers.

The Navy has spotted around 50 Chinese vessels and fishing boats in the West Philippine Sea as of 26 February.

“The number has been fairly constant,” Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.

Trinidad reported four China Coast Guard vessels and around 10 to 17 Chinese fishing vessels were swarming the Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough shoal).

There were two CCG vessels and four fishing boats in the Ayungin Shoal.

Trinidad added that a Chinese Navy warship, a CCG vessel, and 16 fishing boats were spotted on Pagasa Island.

According to Trinidad, the authorities also monitored nine fishing boats on Panata Island, while two were seen on Parola Island.

Further, no Chinese vessels were monitored on Likas Island, Lawak Island, Rizal Reef, and Kota Island, while Sabina Shoal was not mentioned in the enumeration.

Trinidad recalled only 11 Chinese ships and fishing boats were monitored in the WPS on 13 February.

In a separate media briefing on Tuesday, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, confirmed the presence of the Chinese warships near the Bajo de Masinloc. Lade Jean Kabagani