After the rare collision of two Chinese ships near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is hopeful that the “bullying” and “aggression” of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) toward Philippine vessels, troops, and even fishermen in the disputed waters will finally stop.

But that is some wishful thinking if the observed trend is to be followed.

PCG spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela said they expect Chinese vessels to be more aggressive towards Philippine troops to re-establish dominance after the unfortunate crash between China Coast Guard (CCG) ship “3104” and People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) warship “164” on Aug. 11.

“We don’t provoke anyone, we’re not actually the reason for the escalation of tension. It has always been the People’s Republic of China that bullies and harasses our Filipino fishermen. So if you’re going to ask me when and how this will stop, I think it’s for the People’s Republic of China to respond to that question,” Tarriela said on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Despite the anticipated escalation of tension, Tarriela said the PCG will maintain its presence in Bajo de Masinloc to ensure the safety and peaceful conduct of fishing activities of Filipino fishermen.

“The primary reason why the Philippine Coast Guard is there is basically because of humanitarian [reasons]. We are there to support the livelihood of our ordinary Filipino fishermen, ensuring that they can peacefully and freely catch fish,” Tarriela said.

For decades, Bajo de Masinloc has been a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen. It is located 124 nautical miles from the coast of Masinloc, Zambales, within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but it remains tightly guarded by Chinese vessels.

Chinese vessels began driving the Filipino fishermen away when the PRC claimed the shoal as part of its territorial waters under the so-called dash-line claims. These claims, however, have already been invalidated by the 2016 arbitral award, which states that China’s assertions have no basis under the international law.

“We are basing our position in the international law. As a matter of fact, this is why we are celebrating the 2016 arbitral award. For the People’s Republic of China, the difference between our narrative with theirs is that ours is not illegal while their claim was already invalidated,” Tarriela said.

To strengthen the position of the PCG in the WPS, Tarriela said more vessels will be procured in the coming years.

“We have a pending acquisition of five 97-meter vessels. These are as big as BRP Teresa Magbanua, our largest ship,” the official noted.

The ships are now being assembled in Japan and will be delivered by 2027.

Tarriela admitted that the 97-meter vessels will still be smaller compared to China’s “monster ship” (CCG-5901), widely regarded as the largest coast guard vessel in the world, which measures nearly double at 165 meters and is often deployed to WPS to intimidate Philippine patrol vessels.

However, he said the 97-meter vessels will match the usual type of Chinese coast guard vessels deployed in the WPS, which measure 96 to 110 meters.

“We can say that we are getting competitive,” Tarriela said. “And that is the reason why we will never leave this area. We will still continue to patrol and support the livelihood of ordinary Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.”