A military official on Tuesday said the Philippine Navy will remain steadfast in performing its mandate of defending the country’s territorial waters amid China’s unilateral policies in the West Philippine Sea. 

Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the WPS, said the military forces have already increased their maritime patrols in the entire West Philippine Sea, particularly in the Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough Shoal) and in the country’s northern islands. 

“The Philippine Navy does not recognize this provocative statement nor will we be deterred in performing our mandate of securing the welfare of Filipino wherever he/she is—on land or on sea,” Trinidad said in a phone interview, in response to China’s unilateral fishing moratorium over South China Sea, including WPS. 

He stressed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines already boosted its presence in the WPS even before China imposed its unilateral policy in the SCS.

Trinidad also reiterated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s previous pronouncement on the country’s shift from internal security operations to external defense and the implementation of the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept. 

Meanwhile, Trinidad noted the number of Chinese vessels swarming in the key features of the WPS has slightly declined to 122 ships as of 27 May from 153 ships as of 20 May. 

For this week, Bajo de Masinloc is being swarmed by five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and 14 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) ships.

There are five CCG ships and 17 CMM vessels staying in Ayungin Shoal. 

There are 34 CMM ships, one People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship, and one CCG vessel monitored within Pag-asa Island. 

Chinese militia deployed one vessel each on Kota Island and Lawak Island while three CMM ships are monitored on Panatag Island, while Patag is being swarmed by two CCG vessels and two CMM ships.

Further, Beijing deployed 30 CMM ships, 4 PLAN vessels, and 2 CCG ships in Sabina Shoal.