THE Philippines is concerned about the presence of a Chinese “monster ship” that was first spotted near Zambales and later moved to Lubang, Occidental Mindoro.
In a press briefing at Malacañang, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the presence of the “monster ship” in the region is a “matter of projection.”
Bersamin assured that the Philippine forces will continue to challenge the Chinese vessel despite being “non-confrontational.”
“We view it with concern. So far, we have been challenging the presence of that monster ship, our Coast Guard has always been very alert in following up the presence of that monster ship, it keeps appearing,” Bersamin said.
“In the end, nothing confrontational happens, so it may be a projection issue here, but I’m not going to say anything more because that’s a matter of operations,” he added.
Bersamin also said that the Philippine government has always been filing protests against China’s continued presence and aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
He said there have been vice ministerial talks between Manila and Beijing to address the issues in the region.
“This is the precise issue that they address, the settlement of the dispute in the West Philippine Sea,” Bersamin said.
Meanwhile, PCG Spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5901, dubbed the “monster ship,” was spotted in the area on Monday morning.
“Two days ago, we monitored it on the coastline of Zambales, at Capones Island, Zambales. Yesterday, it moved to the northern part of Zambales. This morning (Monday), as we speak, it is 80 nautical miles away from Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro,” Tarriela said.
Tarriela clarified that the ship did not harass any Filipino fishermen in the area.
The “monster ship” was first spotted 54 nautical miles from Capones Island, Zambales on Sunday, which is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The PCG immediately deployed the BRP Cabra, a helicopter, and the PCG Caravan to monitor the ship.
They also challenged the presence of the CCG in the area and told them that they were in the Philippines’ EEZ.
