Dozens of Chinese vessels have recently been frequenting the waters near Pagasa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a military commander reported on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Vice Admiral Ramil Roberto Enriquez, commander of the Western Command (WesCom) in Palawan, said at least 26 maritime militia vessels and one coast guard ship from China were spotted near Pagasa Island on Saturday when presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson went there. The ships were close enough that Lacson and his team visibly monitored them from afar.

“’Iyon nga ang nangyayari sa Pagasa, mayroon talaga silang mga ganoon na tandem pero sa ibang lugar naman ay mga militia vessels (That’s what’s happening on Pagasa, there were really tandems like that but in other areas, there were only militia vessels),” Enriquez said over radio dzBB.

In previous years, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels have conducted maritime patrol operations around Pagasa Island to drive away intruding foreign vessels and allow Filipino fishermen to enjoy the rich biodiversity on the island.

But the situation has changed since then. Now, Chinese vessels have positioned themselves near Pagasa Island, although hope's still not lost as there were no reports of harassment yet against Filipino fishermen, according to Enriquez.

He said that during its peak, the number of Chinese vessels sailing near Pagasa Island reaches 45.

“Kumonti kahapon, medyo naglalaro sa ganyang mga figures, minsan trenta, minsan bente pero hindi talaga nawawalan ng militia vessels malapit sa Pagasa Island (It was lesser yesterday , the figures range from 30 to 20 but there is a consistent presence of militia vessels near Pagasa Island),” he bared.

The island is part of the Kalayaan Island Group (Spratly Islands) and is located about 230 nautical miles from Palawan. A small Filipino community resides on the island, about 400 individuals, while a number of military personnel were also stationed there.

Aside from that, there were also vessels being monitored in other parts of the WPS including near Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef and Recto (Reed) Bank.

The increased presence of Chinese vessels near Pagasa Island came in the wake of the blocking and blasting of water cannon by three China Coast Guard (CCG) ships on two Philippine supply boats last week.

The boats were en route to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and supposed to bring supplies to stationed troops when they were harassed by the CCG vessels, sparking another tense situation in the disputed waters.

The DFA condemned the incident and filed a diplomatic protest against China but the Chinese foreign ministry said the supply boats “trespassed” their waters.

“They are the ones violating our sovereign rights within our EEZ ,” Esperon said on Sunday in reaction to China’s response.

The EEZ, which covers 200 nautical miles of area from the Philippines’ mainland, was granted to the country by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS was ratified by more than 150 countries and among the signatories was China.

“Therefore, they have no right to impede, prevent or harass our ships within our EEZ whether we are fishing or bringing supplies to our detachment in the Sierra Madre Ayungin Shoal,” Esperon noted.