PCG drives away foreign fishing vessel from Lawak Island

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) drove away a foreign fishing vessel from the territorial sea of Lawak Island in the Kalayaan Island Group on Friday.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said PCG personnel stationed on the island spotted the vessel around noon, approximately two nautical miles northeast of Lawak Island and within its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea.

In the early afternoon, the Coast Guard deployed a rubber boat to conduct maritime patrol and law enforcement operations and order the Vietnamese-flagged vessel to leave the area.

Upon reaching the vessel, PCG personnel issued repeated radio challenges and verbal warnings.

The vessel eventually started its engine and sailed northward, away from the island.

The PCG team then escorted the vessel at a safe distance while continuing to issue radio challenges and warnings until it had left Lawak Island's territorial sea.

"Lawak Island is an integral part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Province of Palawan. Under international law, the Philippines exercises full sovereignty over its territorial sea, where no foreign vessel may fish without authorization. Such activities likewise constitute violations of Philippine laws, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act," Tarriela said. — VBL, GMA News