AFP tracks 48 Chinese Coast Guard, naval ships at WPS

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) monitored 20,749 domestic and foreign vessels within national waters, including the West Philippine Sea, military officials said Tuesday.

Philippine Navy monitoring recorded 3,071 domestic and 17,678 foreign ships operating in the country’s maritime domain from 1 to 31 July, according to Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad (Ret./Res.), AFP special spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Of these, 14,180 vessels responded to radio challenges, while 6,569 vessels did not,” Trinidad said.

“These ‘monitor and challenge’ procedures form a vital component of the AFP’s maritime domain awareness efforts, enabling the timely detection, identification, and assessment of vessels operating within Philippine waters,” he added.

In the WPS, the military tracked 48 Chinese vessels — comprising People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and China Coast Guard ships — across four key maritime features.

The military recorded 22 Chinese vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, consisting of 19 coast guard ships and three navy vessels. At Ayungin Shoal, 14 Chinese ships were spotted, including 13 coast guard vessels and one navy ship.

Eight vessels were monitored near the Pag-asa Islands, comprising five coast guard and three navy ships, while four vessels were tracked at Escoda Shoal, including three coast guard ships and one navy vessel.

Trinidad said the presence of the Chinese vessels underscores ongoing illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities that challenge Philippine sovereign rights and undermine international law.

Addressing reported Chinese military and coast guard air-combat drills near Scarborough Shoal, Trinidad confirmed the military tracked the maneuvers, noting that “military activities or demonstrations do not alter the legal status of maritime features or the Philippines’ maritime entitlements.”

Trinidad added that the armed forces fully back Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in emphasizing that defending national rights in the West Philippine Sea is a constitutional duty.

“Standing firm behind our national interest — grounded in international law — is not a matter of political alignment, but an obligation to the Republic,” Trinidad said, calling on all public servants and citizens to support national security efforts.