BFAR, PCG conduct maritime patrol in West Philippine Sea after Chinese harassment

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted another maritime domain awareness flight over the West Philippine Sea on Thursday, Feb. 20, days after a Chinese military helicopter harassed them in Bajo de Masinloc.

Two BFAR aircraft departed from Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, to assert the Philippines' sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Kalayaan Island Group following aggressive maneuvers by a People's Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) helicopter on Feb. 18.

During this operation, BFAR and PCG observed multiple Chinese vessels including six maritime militia ships near Rozul Reef and a China Coast Guard ship with bow number '5101' accompanied by over 50 more maritime militia vessels in Pag-asa Island.

BFAR and PCG challenged the illegal presence of these Chinese forces during their patrol, documenting their activities while remaining committed to upholding Philippine sovereignty despite provocations from China.

China's PLA Southern Theater Command has accused the Philippines of spreading false narratives regarding the incident, asserting that a Philippine reconnaissance aircraft had intruded into Chinese territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission.