Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, on Tuesday revealed that Chinese vessels continue its illegal presence in Philippine waters.

In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Trinidad disclosed that they have been tracking and closely monitoring maritime activity within Philippine waters and spotted 62 Chinese PLA-N and CCG vessels in WPS from 1 to 28 February,

"In the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Navy monitored a total of 62 PLA-N and CCG vessels across four key features: Bajo de Masinloc – 23 vessels (11 PLA-N, 12 CCG); Ayungin Shoal – 17 vessels (2 PLA-N, 15 CCG); Escoda Shoal – 13 vessels (6 PLA-N, 7 CCG) and Pag-asa – 9 vessels (5 PLA-N, 4 CCG," Trinidad said.

"These figures reflect continued illegal CCP presence in areas wherein the Philippines exercises sovereignty, jurisdiction, and sovereignty rights," the Navy official added.

Trinidad said the Navy remained vigilant in monitoring maritime activity within Philippine waters.

From the said period, the Philippine Navy monitored a total of 18,360 vessels across the country’s maritime domain. Of the total vessels monitored, 15,327 were foreign vessels, while 3,033 were domestic vessels.

"Monitoring efforts remained distributed across key maritime areas nationwide, with heightened activity recorded in Northern Luzon, the West Philippine Sea, Western Mindanao, and Eastern Seaboard areas, consistent with established maritime traffic patterns and ongoing operational monitoring," Trinidad said.

"In line with the national policy, the AFP remains committed to safeguarding national territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights, while upholding international law and contributing to regional police and stability," he added.