THE PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) drove away five unauthorized foreign fishing vessels from waters surrounding Loaita Island (Kota Island) in the South China Sea on Sunday, marking its third operation against foreign vessels in the area in two weeks.
PCG spokesman Jay Tristan Tarriela said Coast Guard personnel, working with the Philippine Navy and Philippine Marine Corps, intercepted the vessels after spotting one preparing to fish about 200 meters from the island’s shoreline.
Personnel from Coast Guard Station Kota deployed two rubber boats to challenge the vessels during the Oct. 11 operation, he said in a Facebook post on Monday.
The Coast Guard initially spotted two vessels at about 2:15 p.m., including one near the shoreline and another about 1 nautical mile (1.9 kilometers) west of the island.
Both were within the island’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea and failed to respond to radio challenges, Mr. Tarriela said.
“All five vessels withdrew and moved away until they were outside the territorial sea of Kota Island,” he said.
The operation ended at 4 p.m. without incident.
Loaita Island, also known as Kota Island, is part of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan and is among the Philippine-occupied features in the disputed Spratly Islands.
The latest operation followed two similar encounters involving Chinese vessels near the island.
The PCG drove away Chinese maritime militia vessel 9622 and 22 smaller fishing boats, or sampans, on Oct. 9, following an earlier operation against the same militia vessel on Sept. 28.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea condemned the Oct. 9 incident, accusing the Chinese vessels of unauthorized fishing and dumping waste at sea. — Pexcel John Bacon
In an Oct. 10 statement, the task force said one sampan had approached within 250 meters of the island’s shoreline.
The task force said the repeated incursions underscored the need for sustained vigilance and a consistent response to activities challenging Philippine sovereignty.
The PCG said unauthorized foreign fishing within the island’s territorial sea violates Philippine laws, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
Mr. Tarriela said the Coast Guard would continue monitoring waters surrounding Kota Island in coordination with the Navy and Marine Corps to prevent further intrusions. — Pexcel John Bacon