The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) announced that the BRP Teresa Magbanua successfully pushed back the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) so-called “monster ship” from the Zambales coastline.
According to PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, the CCG-5901 vessel, initially spotted 54 nautical miles from shore, has now been forced to retreat to approximately 117 nautical miles due to the efforts of the PCG.
“The vigilance and professionalism of the PCG vessels led to the successful repositioning of the China Coast Guard ship further from our coastline,” Tarriela stated. The CCG-5901 had replaced the CCG-3304, which was also previously pushed back by the Teresa Magbanua.
Radio warnings were issued by the PCG, asserting that the Chinese vessel was operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In response, the CCG reiterated its claim over the area, dismissing the 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that favored the Philippines.
“The so-called award for the South China Sea arbitration is illegal and invalid. China neither questions nor recognizes it,” the CCG stated, according to a report on Unang Balita.
Despite repeated assertions from Beijing, the PCG remains firm in preventing what it describes as the “normalization” of China’s illegal maritime activities in the West Philippine Sea.
Earlier today, the PCG also detected two more China Coast Guard vessels approximately 34 nautical miles off the coast of Pangasinan.