MANILA (UPDATED) -- The Philippine Coast Guard said it has monitored over 135 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels in the area of Julian Felipe Reef.

In a statement on Sunday, the PCG said it first monitored 111 Chinese vessels in the area on November 13. The number later increased to 125, and by December 2, Philippine authorities monitored over 135 vessels in the area.

Due to this development, National Security Adviser and Chair of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, General Eduardo Año, directed the PCG to carry out maritime patrol in the area.

On Saturday, PCG Commandant Coast Guard Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, deployed PCG vessels BRP Sindangan and BRP Cabra to the area. The PCG issued radio challenges to the Chinese vessels but they received no response.

"No response was made to the radio challenges issued by the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) to the CMM vessels which is now estimated to have grown to more than 135 vessels dispersed and scattered within Julian Felipe Reef," the Coast Guard said.

Julian Felipe Reef is located 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan. It is part of the Kalayaan Island Group, and is part of the territory of the Philippines.

“The PCG maintains its unwavering commitment to safeguarding maritime security, safety and the marine environment in the course of protecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international laws including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2016 Arbitral Award and Philippine domestic laws,” PCG said, adding the Coast Guard will continue to patrol the West Philippine Sea to protect the territory of the Philippines.

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Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including waters and islands close to the shores of its neighbors, and has ignored an international tribunal decision that its assertion has no legal basis.

It deploys vessels to patrol the waters, and has built artificial islands and military installations to reinforce its stance.

The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have also staked claims to various islands and reefs in the sea, which is believed to have rich petroleum reserves deep beneath its waters.

The coast guard released images Sunday which it said showed Chinese vessels lined up in formation while others were scattered around the waters.

In 2021, a similar incident involving more than 200 Chinese vessels at the reef sparked a diplomatic row between Manila and Beijing.

At the time, Manila insisted their incursion into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone was unlawful.

But China insisted they were fishing boats sheltering from bad weather and were allowed to be there.

The Philippines announced Friday that it was establishing a coast guard station on the largest island it holds in the South China Sea to improve the monitoring of Chinese vessels.

The coast guard station would be equipped with "advanced systems", including radar, satellite communication, coastal cameras and vessel traffic management, National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said during a visit to Thitu Island.

The station has been built and is expected to be operational early next year. -- With a report from Allison Jackson, Agence France-Presse

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