The Armed Forces of the Philippines will increase the frequency of its naval patrols in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag or Scarborough Shoal) in Zambales following the latest harassment of China Coast Guard (CCG) against Filipino fishermen.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said additional Philippine Navy (PN) ships and personnel will be deployed for patrol operations in Bajo de Masinloc to secure the fishermen who are casting their nets in the said waters. 

"For the Philippine Navy, we can allocate more resources po for our external defense since our international security operations have dwindled. We'll have more assets of our Navy circling around the area," Padilla said in an interview over CNN Philippines on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The AFP spokesperson said part of the military's mandate is to ensure that Filipinos can freely enjoy the aquatic resources in areas considered as traditional fishing ground.

The 2016 Arbitral Award, which ruled in favor of the Philippines' claims in the South China Sea over China, affirmed that Bajo de Masinloc has long been a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen.

"This is our territorial water. We have all the right to be fishing in these waters. So we will tell all fishermen [that] they can continue with their fishing [activities] in these territorial waters and the Armed Forces will be here to support you," Padilla said.

Last Jan. 12, China Coast Guard personnel chased Filipino fishermen onboard fishing boat "Legendary Jo" at the south entrance of Bajo de Masinloc and forced them to return the sea shells they collected, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

"The Philippine Navy is constantly being around our waters and you know circling the area. But at this point, hindi sila nagpangabot kung saan po nangyari 'yan (they did not witness the incident)," Padilla explained.

"We take this report seriously and we are continuously coordinating with the Philippine Coast Guard on how we can support them in their operations. We need to do our best to prevent this incident from happening again in the future," she added.

Airdrop in Ayungin

Meanwhile, the AFP has conducted an airdrop of supplies for the marines guarding the BRP Sierra Madre outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal after the scheduled rotation and reprovision (RORE) mission over the weekend got postponed.

"Yes, confirmed but we do not want to announce it," said a senior AFP official who requested anonymity.

According to the source, the military used Philippine Navy aircraft NV314 to airlift the supplies to the troops and dropped them into the sea near where BRP Sierra Madre was ran aground.

The marines then swam into the ocean and secured the food, water and other supplies that are enough to last for two weeks.

The supply run was postponed after one of the supply boats chartered by the AFP, Unaizah Mae 1, got damaged when it was rammed by a CCG ship and shot by water cannon during a Dec. 10, 2023 RORE mission.

"We can attribute the damage to the collision with the Chinese vessel because it [Unaizah Mae 1] slowly deteriorated," the official noted.