A photo from the Philippine Coast Guard shows the Chinese Coast Guard maintaining its presence in Ayungin Shoal and Sabina Shoal, both within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone during a PCG Maritime Domain Awareness flight on Feb. 21, 2023. Courtesy NTF West Philippine Sea
MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it would publicize all incidents of Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG adviser of the commandant for maritime security, the move would compel China to react and acknowledge its actions.
"The National Task Force [for the West Philippine Sea] believes that it is the obligation of the task force to make all these incidents publicized in a way that the public would be made aware of it," he told ANC's "Headstart".
"Secondly, we also note that every time that we publicize those incidents, that's the time the Chinese make reactions, even the Chinese embassy right now," he added.
The PCG earlier admitted that not all incidents of Chinese incursions in Philippines were reported to the public, including the first alleged laser-flashing incident involving BRP Habagat in June last year.
The PCG is also committed to maintaining its presence in the West Philippine Sea despite China's intimidatory tactics, Tarriela said.
"We are going to maintain our patrols despite the much more smaller vessels that we have, despite of the harassment and the threats they are doing towards the Philippine Coast Guard vessel," he said.
Chinese ships remain an intimidating presence in a Philippine-controlled shoal in the contested Spratly Islands chain, where a laser-pointing incident in February has become a new source of tension between the 2 countries.
During an aerial visit to the area earlier in the week arranged by the Philippine Coast Guard, reporters witnessed how the only Philippines' outpost in Ayungin Shoal in Spratly islands was decrepit, in contrast to the teeming number of Chinese Coast Guard vessels that surrounded the shoal.
The rare trip came after a vessel belonging to PCG was locked in with a "military-grade laser" from a Chinese coast guard ship in the vicinity of the Ayungin Shoal on Feb. 6.
The incident quickly escalated into a diplomatic row, with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. immediately summoning China's ambassador to the country and protesting Beijing's aggressive activities in the resource-rich South China Sea, where the Spratlys are located.
China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan all lay claim to the South China Sea, either in part or in whole.
— With reports from Davinci Maru, ABS-CBN News; Kyodo News