Armed Forces of the Philippines Special Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Ret./Res.) on Friday confirmed the presence of a Chinese warship operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines is aware of reports regarding the presence of a Chinese PLA Navy vessel and an unmanned surface vessel allegedly operating within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone. We are closely tracking and monitoring the situation in coordination with other maritime agencies," Trinidad said.

He said there is no indication of any immediate threat to public safety or national security.

"We call on the public to remain calm, avoid speculation, and rely only on verified information from official government sources," he added.

The sighting of the People's Liberation Army Navy vessel off Luzon was documented by California-based maritime technology firm Seasats, which said its autonomous surface vessel captured footage on 16 June of a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer deploying a Lightfish unmanned surface vessel.

According to Seasats, its drone approached the Chinese warship about 105 kilometers northwest of Luzon, an area where Beijing has maintained a sustained military presence.

"We're able to go out and film and get up close and record all this data off of a Chinese ship," Seasats Chief Executive Officer Mike Flanigan said.

The company said it verified the location through its navigation data and confirmed the date using the original file metadata.

Seasats also said it has encountered several Chinese naval vessels in recent years, including Type 052 destroyers, Type 055 destroyers, and Type 056 corvettes.

Trinidad said the AFP would continue to coordinate with other maritime agencies while carrying out its mandate to protect the country's maritime interests.

"The AFP will continue to monitor developments and perform its mandate of safeguarding the country's maritime interests," he said.