Navy dismisses China’s Scarborough Shoal patrol claims as propaganda

Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, dismissed claims from China’s Southern Theatre Navy that it conducted combat readiness patrols around the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) on Saturday.

According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, China said its navy has ramped up patrols and surveillance in the area, aiming to enhance its control over the surrounding waters and airspace.

"News like these are all part of information shaping operations by the Chinese Communist Party to address any internal dissent or shape the international discourse to their favor," Trinidad told reporters.

He emphasized that monitoring reports from the Philippine Navy and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) showed no signs of increased activity by China's People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the WPS.

As of Saturday morning, Trinidad said the only foreign vessels observed in the area included two China Coast Guard (CCG) ships, six Chinese maritime militia vessels, four Vietnamese fishing boats, and three Taiwanese fishing boats.

"Monitoring by the Navy and the AFP of the West Phil Sea to include our sovereign waters around Bajo de Masinloc and all over our EEZ indicates no such activity," he said. "No activity of PLAN was monitored," he added.

Trinidad reiterated that the Philippine Navy and AFP remain committed to protecting national waters.

"The PN and the AFP will continue to secure and protect our maritime domain as we remain committed to regional peace and stability," he said.

Scarborough Shoal — also referred to as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal — is situated 124 nautical miles from Masinloc, Zambales, and falls well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile EEZ under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The area has long been a flashpoint in the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing, especially after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in 2016 that China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea have “no legal basis.”

Last month, the Philippines asserted its sovereignty after China accused Manila of illegally intruding into the waters around Bajo de Masinloc.

“These are all part of shaping or malign info operations more likely for their internal audience,” Trinidad said.

“Only the Philippine Navy and other Philippine-flagged law enforcement ships have the authority and legal bases to challenge any ship within maritime zones,” he added.