Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760592567988cropped-photo-collage.png (2).png" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A Chinese fighter jet and helicopter tailed a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness flight over Bajo de Masinloc on Wednesday. Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>BAJO DE MASINLOC, West Philippine Sea — A Chinese fighter jet and a Chinese helicopter tailed on Wednesday a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/13/inside-view-what-happened-inside-bfar-vessel-rammed-by-chinese-coast-guard-0929">INSIDE VIEW: What happened inside BFAR vessel rammed by Chinese Coast Guard</a></div><p>According to the PCG, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter jet and a PLA Navy helicopter followed the PCG’s Cessna Caravan for more than 20 minutes.</p><p>The Chinese fighter jet even flew as close as 500 meters from the PCG aircraft—an encounter described as “dangerous.”</p><p>“Yung ginawa ng Chinese jet fighter na ilang minutong pag-maneuver in different locations of the PCG Caravan is very dangerous,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, told reporters who joined the mission.</p><p>“Ang ganitong gawain should not be conducted towards a CG aircraft dahil wala naman tayong intensyong masama. We are conducting our patrols in accordance with our sovereignty. This airspace belongs to the Filipino people,” he noted.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/12/china-vessel-deliberately-rammed-philippine-ship-pcg-1125">China vessel &#x27;deliberately rammed&#x27; PH ship providing cover for fishermen: PCG</a></div><p>The PCG aircraft was repeatedly challenged by a PLA Navy warship with bow number 552.</p><p>Bajo de Masinloc, which is located 124 nautical miles off mainland Zambales, is well within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic (EEZ).</p><p>The shoal, however, has been under Beijing’s control since 2012.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SUSPECTED STRUCTURES</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The MDA flight aimed to verify the presence of suspected structures spotted in the northern portion of Bajo de Masinloc.</p><p>According to Tarriela, the structures—believed to be debris—were first observed in 2023 based on historical satellite imagery.</p><p>“We cannot tell if it is the US, the Chinese, or the Philippines na naglagay nitong debris na ito sa Bajo de Masinloc,” Tarriela said.</p><p>“But one thing is certain: We now confirm that all these structures are not something new. [They have] been there for more than two years already or earlier pa,” he added.</p><p>The official said the PCG would continue conducting MDA flights in the coming days to verify the findings.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HISTORY OF ATTEMPTED CONSTRUCTION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it will investigate the reported structures.</p><p>In 1997, China attempted to build a steel structure in the area, which was dismantled by the Philippine Navy.</p><p>Bajo de Masinloc also once served as a bombing range for both the Philippines and the United States.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2024/12/12/china-carrying-out-maritime-occupation-in-west-philippine-sea-analyst-1326">China carrying out &#x27;maritime occupation&#x27; in West Philippine Sea: analyst</a></div><p>“In 1997, there was an attempt to erect a steel structure by the Chinese Communist Party which was blown up by our Philippine Navy forces,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad recalled.</p><p>“Prior to that, there were also reports of building blocks installed when Bajo de Masinloc was still used as a bombing range by the US Air Force, the US Navy, and the Philippine Air Force,&quot; he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>CHINESE PRESENCE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>The PCG also detected a second buoy in the northern part of Bajo de Masinloc.</p><p>However, the floating barrier previously set up by Chinese maritime forces in the southeastern portion of the shoal was no longer in place.</p><p>“There’s already a second buoy that they installed in the northern part of the shoal,” Tarriela said. “It is important for us to continuously monitor itong activities ng Chinese government sa Bajo de Masinloc.”</p><p>“Wala nang barrier kasi wala naman na tayong nakitang mataas na bilang ng mga Pilipinong mangingisda. There are also no more BFAR vessels there. That is the reason why the Chinese already recovered their floating barriers na nilalagay nila,” he continued.</p><p>Around the shoal, the PCG monitored two PLA Navy warships, eight China Coast Guard ships, and ten Chinese maritime militia vessels.</p><p>Aside from the PCG aircraft, the BRP Teresa Magbanua remains stationed off Zambales to continue patrol operations.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WbakUd2Q2VM?&amp;embeds_widget_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fteams.microsoft.com%2F&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Ftabs.teams.microsoft.com%2F&amp;embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Ftabs.teams.microsoft.com&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wjHJH4MSWo?&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abs-cbn.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9oOEbxesL7M?&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abs-cbn.com%2F&amp;source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>According to the PCG, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter jet and a PLA Navy helicopter followed the PCG’s Cessna Caravan for more than 20 minutes.</p>

According to the PCG, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force J-16 fighter jet and a PLA Navy helicopter followed the PCG’s Cessna Caravan for more than 20 minutes.

INSIDE VIEW: Chinese fighter jet, helicopter tail PCG plane near Bajo de Masinloc

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INSIDE VIEW: Chinese fighter jet, helicopter tail PCG plane near Bajo de Masinloc

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 16, 2025 01:32 PM PHT

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Bajo de Masinloc

Philippine Coast Guard

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