Chinese boats in WPS constantly changing locations–esperon

CHINESE fishing and maritime militia vessels that are inside the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) are irregularly moving and are changing locations, but the government has managed to track them, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said.

Esperon, who is also the chairman of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), disclosed the Chinese boats’ pattern of movements while emphasizing that the country has not given up any of its maritime claims by guarding all of the islands and features that it owns in those territories.

“We have our stations, eight stations. Look at the flags. Our biggest station is Pagasa Island. We have maritime patrols over the area. Our Coast Guard are deployed in the area, the Bureau of Fisheries vessels and the Philippine National Police, it’s a combined effort,” Esperon said at a virtual briefing on the fishery situation in the WPS.

“And there are two primary missions there: one is to protect our stations, second, if not number one, would be to protect our fisherfolks wherever they reach, wherever they go within this area,” he added.

In December last year, more than 230 Chinese ships, both fishing vessels and maritime militia boats, were seen at the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) before they dispersed and reappeared in bigger number in different locations within the KIG and the WPS, prompting the government to intensify its patrol and send more ships to those areas.

“If you would ask me now, where the Chinese fishing vessels are, there would be as we know, we have seen them in Julian Felipe, which we are showing there, or the Whitsun Reef and in the vicinity of this whole complex which is the Union Bank,” Esperon said while pointing to the WPS areas.

“We have also seen them in Sabina Shoal to the right and in Ayungin or in the Reed Bank area, or in Pagasa area or near the islands that have become the centers of action of other countries. In other words, they keep changing their locations,” he added.

The national security adviser said the government continues to keep track of the Chinese vessels and their locations while recalling previous incidents where Coast Guard ships have shooed them away from Sabina Shoal, Reed Bank, Julian Felipe Reef and near Pagasa Island.