More than 135 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels was spotted at Julian Felipe Reef, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela on Sunday, December 4.
“No response was made to the radio challenges issued by the PCG to the CMM vessels, which [are] now estimated to have grown (to) more than 135 vessels dispersed and scattered within Julian Felipe Reef,” Tarriela said in an X (formerly Twitter) post.
PCG MONITORS ILLEGAL PRESENCE OF MORE THAN 135 CHINESE MARITIME MILITIA VESSELS IN JULIAN FELIPE REEF
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) December 3, 2023
On November 13, the PCG monitored 111 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) swarming the area of Julian Felipe Reef, and this number increased to 125 based on the last monitoring of… pic.twitter.com/hlFvaOWW2z
The CMM vessels were sighted after Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan deployed PCG vessels BRP Sindangan and BRP Cabra to conduct patrols near the Julian Felipe reef on Saturday, Dec. 2.
According to the PCG Spokesperson for WPS, the CMM vessels were previously estimated at 125, a significant increase from the 111 CMM ships recorded on November 13, 2023.
Located 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan, the Julian Felipe Reef is regarded as a low-tide elevation inside the territorial sea of significant high-tide features in the Kalayaan Island Group.
“The PCG maintains its unwavering commitment to safeguarding maritime security, safety, and the marine environment in the course of protecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.
In November, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. urged Chinese officials to uphold international law, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea regarding areas of the South China Sea.
However, China has refused to acknowledge the ruiling, as many incidents reported that their vessels entered inside the country's exclusive economic zone.
