PCG drives away Chinese ships near Bolinau, Pangasinan

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel, BRP Cabra, successfully drove away a Chinese Coast Guard ship, CCG-3304, which had moved closer to the Philippines' coast off Bolinao in Pangasinan on Wednesday, February 12.

BRP Cabra pushed CCG-3304 to an approximate distance of 101.44 nautical miles off Bani, Pangasinan, but another Chinese vessel with bow number 3103 arrived in the vicinity, seemingly taking its place as CCG-3304 moved towards Bajo de Masinloc.

China's so-called 'monster ship,' the largest coast guard ship globally, was spotted moving southward off Cabra Island in Mindoro at a distance of 164 nautical miles from the coast and may soon depart the West Philippine Sea, according to PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela.

Two other Chinese vessels remain near Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, while Lan Hai 101, a Chinese fishery research vessel, is currently at a distance of 32.5 nautical miles from Taiwan.

PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan ordered aerial patrols and intelligence gathering to monitor CCG's actions, maintaining suspicion over Lan Hai 101’s continuous entry into the Philippines' contiguous zone while it continues northward with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) off.