Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

This screen captured image from a video taken by the Philippine Coast Guard on September 20, 2023 shows  China Coast Guard’s (CCG’s) installation of floating barrier in the Southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc (BDM), which prevents Filipino Fishing Boats (FFBs) from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities. Philippine Coast Guard handout

Article (news)

Bajo De Masinloc

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/174651655980320230920-bajo-de-masinloc-CCG-barrier-PCG-2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">This screen captured image from a video taken by the Philippine Coast Guard on September 20, 2023 shows China Coast Guard’s (CCG’s) installation of floating barrier in the Southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc (BDM), which prevents Filipino Fishing Boats (FFBs) from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities. <em>Philippine Coast Guard handout</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — China has increased its forces blocking Philippine access to Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal in the past 12 months, according to security think tank SeaLight.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" 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>Ray Powell, director of SeaLight and a former United States Air Force officer, said the organization’s ship tracking has observed more than double the number of individual China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) automatic identification system (AIS) broadcasts around the shoal from May 2024 to April 2025, compared to the previous period.</p><p>From May 2023 to April 2024, SeaLight tracked 57 CCG and CMM ships producing around 724,000 AIS broadcasts near Bajo de Masinloc. </p><p>However, over the next 12 months, the “area of intense activity expanded dramatically” with 78 ships and 1,573,000 broadcasts. </p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/19/how-ph-navy-officer-lost-a-finger-during-china-ramming-incident-in-ayungin-1809">How PH Navy officer lost a finger during China ramming incident in Ayungin</a></div><p>Powell also noted that the Chinese ships ranged in all directions, but especially to the east toward the Philippine mainland. </p><p>“The main takeaway is essentially the doubling of Chinese activities in Scarborough Shoal in the last 12 months and the fact that they continue to push further and further east,” Powell said in a virtual forum organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute on Tuesday. </p><p>“Transmissions [Broadcasts] mean the particular transmission from a particular ship on its AIS system. We measure transmissions to indicate the overall activity in that area,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><span style="background-color:transparent"><strong>NEARLY FOURFOLD INCREASE</strong></span></div><p>Powell noted that with China’s continued activities, the Philippines has also increased its deployment and patrolling of vessels near Bajo de Masinloc.</p><p>Philippine AIS returns from May 2023 to April 2024 was a modest seven Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels producing 55,000 AIS broadcasts around the shoal.</p><div><span style="background-color:transparent">From May 2024 to April 2025, the AIS broadcasts jumped to 217,000 coming from 11 ships—a nearly fourfold increase. </span></div><p>However, Philippine ships have yet to reach the shoal itself.</p><p>“The PCG and BFAR ships have been extremely active and busy in asserting Philippine rights. There was a quadrupling of activities,” Powell said. </p><p>He then continued, “The situation is not because the Philippines has not been making a valiant effort to assert its rights. It’s simply being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Chinese ships. The Philippines continues to make its case in a visible way.” </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/5/china-boosts-defense-spending-as-regional-disputes-heat-up-1609">China boosts defense spending as regional disputes heat up</a></div><p>National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya noted that even though fewer in number compared to China, Philippine ships will continue to assert the country’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the shoal.</p><p>Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles west of Zambales and is well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).</p><p>On the other hand, the shoal is 472 nautical miles from Hainan Province, China’s nearest land mass. </p><p>“[China’s] Dangerous maneuvers conducted... Of course, we take that into consideration. The risk to our servicemen [is] there. But it is a risk worth taking because, clearly, the shoal belongs to us and we must fly the flag and stand for international law,” Malaya said. </p><p>“We have been doing this but the challenges are there. Notwithstanding those challenges for and behalf of our fishermen, the territory and integrity of the Philippines, we will continue to ramp up this presence by sending our ships regularly for maritime patrol, as well as air patrols to fly the flag and send a strong message that we will not be deterred in asserting our rights and jurisdiction in Bajo de Masinloc,” he added. </p><p>Malaya also pointed out that the consistent and doubling presence and activities of Chinese ships in the area have limited the access of Filipino fishermen to the shoal. </p><p>“It’s the effect to our fishermen who have been traditionally fishing in this area for a very long time and has been curtailed significantly,” the official said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;RED LINE&#x27;</strong></div><p>Malaya warned that any attempt by China to undertake construction to turn Bajo de Masinloc into an island will cross a “red line” by the Philippines. </p><p>The NSC ADG cited the policy of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. that the country would not yield an inch of territory to China in the West Philippine Sea as the basis of the red line. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/12/ph-says-it-s-under-pressure-from-china-to-cede-claims-in-south-china-sea-1601">PH says it&#x27;s under pressure from China to cede claims in South China Sea</a></div><p>“What keeps us awake at night is that China, since they have presence in the area, turning the shoal into an artificial island or militarizing it. That is going to be very troubling,” Malaya said.</p><p>He went on, “The legal status of Scarborough Shoal as part of Philippine territory is clear. That is a red line.”</p><p>Malaya said he hopes China will continue to adhere to the Declaration of Conduct (DOC), the first political document jointly issued by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China in 2002 to maintain stability in the South China Sea pending a Code of Conduct (COC). </p><p>“The Declaration of Conduct… No new occupation of occupied features. We expect China to adhere to that. They always mention the Declaration of Conduct in any statement by Beijing. So, it is our hope that they will not go that far. That would be a red line for the Philippines,” he noted.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘NO LEGAL WEIGHT’</strong></div><p>University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs director Jay Batongbacal stressed that China’s repeated claims over Bajo de Masinloc have no basis in international law.</p><p>The 2016 Arbitral Award stated that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) superseded any “historic rights” over the shoal as claimed by China.</p><p>The same ruling invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim, now ten-dash line, in almost the entire South China Sea and favored the Philippines’ sovereign claims in the West Philippine Sea. </p><p>However, Beijing continues to ignore the decision. </p><p>“These are evidence that China is attempting to demonstrate that it is exercising control over the area. However, from a legal perspective, I would note that the area has been, admittedly, subject to dispute even by China, such control—legally—has no weight. Meaning, no matter how much control the exercise, as far as the legal situation is concerned, it has not changed. The status of Scarborough Shoal as part of Philippine territory is determined not by the exercise of China’s control but by the facts on the ground as of the time that the dispute really flared up which was in 2012,” Batongbacal explained. </p><p>“The earliest could be 1995 but whether it’s 1995 or 2012, what it means is nothing the parties do will affect the legal status of the shoal as of 1995 at the earliest or 2012 at the latest,” he further said.</p><p>The maritime security expert noted that even in early maps, Bajo de Masinloc has always been part of Philippine territory. </p><p>“The Philippines has been exercising jurisdiction and sovereignty over the shoal over a long period of time,” he said. “I am confident about the legal status of the shoal being part of Philippine national territory.” </p><p>“Our inability perhaps to immediately stop China and its activities to control the shoal is not a reason for us to stop because the law clearly is on our side. If we persist, we definitely hope that the law will eventually prevail,” he added. </p><p>In April 2012, Beijing effectively took control of Bajo de Masinloc after a tense standoff with Philippine troops. </p><p>Since then, China has beefed up the presence of its warships, and coast guard and maritime militia vessels to deny Philippine authorities and fishermen access.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><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/89mYYZtMqeg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>China has increased its forces blocking Philippine access to Scarborough Shoal in the past 12 months, according to security think tank SeaLight.</p>

China has increased its forces blocking Philippine access to Scarborough Shoal in the past 12 months, according to security think tank SeaLight.

China increased presence, activities in Bajo de Masinloc in past year: think tank

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China increased presence, activities in Bajo de Masinloc in past year: think tank

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 06, 2025 03:46 PM PHT

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