PH Navy: 19 China coast guard, naval ships spotted in WPS in Feb.

MANILA – Nineteen ships belonging to the China Coast Guard (CCG) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy were among 260 assorted vessels monitored in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in February, a ranking Philippine Navy official said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said nine CCG ships were monitored in Bajo de Masinloc, along with two PLAN vessels.
Aside from this, seven CCG ships were spotted along with another PLAN vessel in Ayungin Shoal.
However, Trinidad did not give specifics on the identities of the remaining vessels spotted in the WPS.
In the same briefing, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the illegal presence of these Chinese ships in the WPS blatantly disregards the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling and infringes upon the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights.
She maintained that the AFP remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding international law and defending the integrity of Philippine national territory.Meanwhile, Trinidad also refuted Chinese social media pages’ claims that the province of Palawan used to be a part of China.
"In an authoritarian state where social media and freedom of expression is regulated by (the) government, everything is possible. Such statements about Palawan are baseless," he added. Also, the PN official added that such claims are "bereft of legal references."
"They are beyond common sense. In short, totally absurd. It will never happen that a part of the Philippines will be included in the sovereign territory of any other country," he said. (PNA)

(2025/03/04-09:01)