Manila Bulletin
Philippines
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PH Navy crew thwarts near-collision with Chinese frigate off Pag-asa Island
Philippines
National
PH Navy crew thwarts near-collision with Chinese frigate off Pag-asa Island
PH Navy crew thwarts near-collision with Chinese frigate off Pag-asa Island
Published Mar 27, 2026 12:44 pm
(Photo: Western Command)
The Philippine Navy (PN) said its personnel aboard the landing ship BRP Benguet (LS507) averted a possible collision after a Chinese warship allegedly made a dangerous approach near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The Western Command (Wescom) said the incident happened while the ship was conducting routine and lawful operations in Pag-asa Island, a strategic waterway where tensions between Manila and Beijing have persisted for years over overlapping claims, on Wednesday, March 25.
Colonel Nep V. Padua, Wescom spokesperson, said a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) missile frigate with bow number “532” closed in on BRP Benguet and passed “at a dangerously close distance.”
“While conducting lawful operations, BRP Benguet encountered the PLAN vessel, which executed an unsafe and unprofessional maneuver by closing in and passing at a dangerously close distance,” Padua said.
The Wescom stressed that such dangerous maneuvers were “provocative” and constitute a violation of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).
The area around Pag-asa Island, the largest Philippine-held feature in the Spratly chain, has long been a flashpoint.
China continues to assert sweeping claims in the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated those claims. The AFP regularly carries out resupply and patrol missions there to assert sovereignty.
Despite the close call, the Wescom said its crew responded with restraint.
“Despite this, the measured and decisive actions of LS507 effectively prevented escalation while ensuring the safety of all personnel on board,” Padua noted.
The Wescom, which oversees operations in Palawan and Kalayaan Island Group, renewed its call for Beijing to follow international norms.
“The Western Command calls on the PLA Navy to adhere to established international rules and norms to prevent incidents at sea,” Padua said.
“WESCOM will perform its lawful maritime operations with professionalism and resolve in exercising the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.