Manila Bulletin
Heightened swarming activities of Chinese fishing vessels monitored in 3 WPS key areas
The Philippine military has reported a renewed increase in Chinese maritime activity, with 30 Chinese fishing vessels observed in various Philippine waters in the West Philippine Sea.
Aerial patrols conducted on September 6 and 7 identified 23 Chinese fishing vessels at Ioquis Reef, located within the Reed Bank area.
Further swarming was noted at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, where five vessels were present, and at Baragatan (Nares) Bank, with two vessels recorded.
A separate Philippine Navy air patrol on August 24 also documented 33 Chinese fishing vessels at Rozul (Iroquis) Reef, which is within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
These incursions are considered violations of Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
Past swarming incidents in these areas have been linked to extensive coral harvesting, raising significant environmental concerns.
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News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
The Western Command (Wescom) has expressed alarm over the heightened presence of Chinese maritime militia vessels and extensive damage to marine life and corals at Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal.
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully completed a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, despite harassment from China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels.
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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has discovered severe damage to marine life in the West Philippine Sea, specifically at Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal.
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Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri urged the Chinese Embassy in Manila to cease the destruction of marine resources in the West Philippine Sea, specifically at Rozul Reef.
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China has no authority to conduct law enforcement operations within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).
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