Chinese maritime forces have departed Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) confirmed on Monday, Dec. 18, as it dispelled rumors that the foreign boats and ships were already in "invasion mode" in the WPS.
NTF-WPS spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said only one China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel remained in the vicinity of Ayungin after the departure of 11 Chinese maritime militia vessels (CMMVs) that were earlier spotted in the shoal.
"They already left as of yesterday's report and we confirmed it this morning. All of them already left and the only one remaining as per our latest monitoring is one Coast Guard vessel, the CCG 5204," Malaya said in a public briefing.
United States-based maritime security expert Ray Powell earlier reported that at least 11 CMMVs were monitored inside Ayungin while dozens more were spotted outside the shoal last Monday, Dec. 11.
Powell described the presence of Chinese maritime forces as a "highly unusual invasion" of Ayungin's interior which "appears to have been a calculated show of force by Beijing."
But Malaya said there is no truth to Powell's remarks that the Chinese vessels were in invasion mode.
"For the Filipinos who are worried of the reported invasion, we would like to dispel this report and perhaps what we can say is that Ray Powell's remark is more of a hyperbole or is an exaggeration of what is happening there," Malaya noted.
Malaya assured the public that the national government has been continuously patrolling the WPS, including Ayungin Shoal, to uphold the country's sovereignty in the area.
"We send out patrols every now and then and our troops in Ayungin Shoal are also helping in driving away the Chinese maritime militia," he stated.
Last Dec. 10, China deployed 46 coast guard, navy, and maritime militia vessels in Ayungin Shoal to stop the latest resupply mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Ayungin Shoal.
A day after the mission, there were still remnants of the Chinese deployment in Ayungin Shoal and Malaya suspected that the vessels monitored by Powell were the same units involved in the Dec. 10 supply run.