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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
February 21, 2025 | 4:13pm
MANILA, Philippines — Days after a Chinese military helicopter carried out dangerous maneuvers near a Philippine patrol plane, Manila launched another surveillance flight over the West Philippine Sea to reinforce its presence in the area and document Beijing’s "unlawful activities."
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) deployed two of the latter's planes to conduct a maritime patrol over the Kalayaan Island Group on Thursday, February 20, according to a statement by the PCG.
The two aircraft documented six Chinese maritime militia vessels at Rozul Reef, while over 50 similar vessels and a China Coast Guard ship with bow number 5101 were seen prowling the waters off Pagasa Island.
"Throughout the flight, the BFAR aircraft consistently challenged the illegal presence of Chinese maritime forces encountered," the PCG said.
China's maritime militia vessels are spotted meandering in the waters off Rozul (Iroquois) Reef, which lies within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf, Feb. 20, 2025.
Philippine Coast Guard / Released
What came before. The latest patrol comes after a Philippine plane carrying journalists and Coast Guard personnel encountered a Chinese navy helicopter, an incident that the PCG has described as the "most dangerous" yet given the presence of personnel and media on board.
RELATED: China helicopter's actions vs Philippines plane 'most dangerous' yet — PCG
On Tuesday, February 18, a People's Liberation Army Navy helicopter came within three meters of a BFAR patrol plane conducting maritime patrols over Scarborough Shoal. This created a a turbulent propeller wash that nearly destabilized the Philippine aircraft, said PCG Spokesperson Jay Tarriela.
Beijing has since released its own account of the aerial confrontation and said the Philippine aircraft had entered its "territorial airspace" over Scarborough Shoal (which it calls Huangyan Dao) without permission.
China maintains its presence in the disputed feature despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea.
Scarborough Shoal lies within the West Philippine Sea, inside the Philippines' 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ), where Manila holds exclusive rights to resources under international law.
Philippines asserts sovereign rights; China denounces 'intrusion'
The new patrol mission on Thursday aimed to assert the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights, and maritime jurisdiction amid persistent Chinese presence in the area, according to the PCG.
The PCG vowed to sustain regular patrols over the tense waterways.
"Undeterred by provocations from the People's Republic of China, BFAR and PCG remain resolute in maintaining our presence in the West Philippine Sea and confronting the illegal activities of foreign vessels," the PCG said.
China, however, has denounced Thursday's patrols and claimed the Philippines' patrol planes "illegally intruded" into what it considers its territorial airspace. A spokesperson for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command on Friday said Chinese forces "tracked, monitored, warned, and expelled" the aircraft, according to a translation by Chinese state media.
Beijing further accused Manila of "hyping and smearing" China's lawful actions, alleging that the Philippines deliberately provoked encounters to advance its maritime claims.
The PLA also doubled down on its account of the February 18 incident, claiming that a Philippine patrol plane "repeatedly altered its flight altitude" and flew dangerously close to the Chinese military helicopter.
Escalating tensions
The skies above the South China Sea have increasingly become the dangerous new flashpoint between Manila and Beijing.
In August 2024, two Chinese fighter jets shot flares in front of a BFAR maritime patrol flight over Scarborough Shoal.
In January, the Philippines had to cut short a scientific survey in the South China Sea after Chinese navy, Coast Cuard vessels and aircraft made "aggressive maneuvers" toward BFAR ships.
The Philippines is not the only country raising alarms over China's aerial tactics in the South China Sea.
Just last week, Australia accused a Chinese fighter jet of executing an "unsafe and unprofessional" maneuver against an Australian P-8A surveillance aircraft over the contested waters.
According to Canberra, the Chinese jet released flares dangerously close to the Australian plane.
