Published January 22, 2024
The Armed Forces of the Philippines considers the most recent harassment made by the China Coast Guard against Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) last Saturday, January 20, alarming, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said.
Speaking before the media in a press briefing on Monday, Padilla said the AFP top brass is continuously trying to find out different ways to respond to such incidents in the Western Philippine Sea.
“We consider these incidents alarming, dahil nga lumalapit ng lumalapit yung in incidents, but with the command conference that we had, there was guidance by the president, and we also try to see different approaches to how we handle the situation,” Padilla said.
“So with any situation, the armed forces will look into that. Ang sabi nga natin, we don’t want to micro-manage our ground commanders, so they will pre-determine reactions to these, and the whole armed forces are there to support,” she added.
She also stated that the AFP is always ready to support the operational concerns of the Philippine Coast Guard PCG on WPS issues.
Reacting to concerns about the latest harassment, Padilla said the AFP and PCG regularly conduct patrol operations in WPS, but one major concern is the vast expense of the area, which they cannot cover at once.
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SOURCE: www.palawan-news.com
RELATED: PCG to escort Pinoy fishers after latest China harassment
Published January 22, 2024
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday vowed to escort Filipino fisherfolk following another harassment incident by China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) are regularly monitoring the Bajo de Masinloc and other parts of the WPS, but the latest incident occurred during a “lull time”, according to PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela.
“Nangyari ito noong January 12 wherein there is no coast guard and BFAR vessel that was present during that time,” said Tarriela in Chino Gaston’s “24 Oras” report.
(This happened on January 12 when there was no PCG or BFAR vessel present.)
“But we are coordinating with the BFAR to make sure na itong ganitong lull time na magkakaroon ng vacuum ng presence ng government forces will no longer happen again,” Tarriela said.
