Joselito Malig

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/175551258059220250812-bajo-de-masinloc-wps-pcg-BD921.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A China Coast Guard vessel fires a water cannon at a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship, August 11, 2025 near the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal. <em>Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Philippine government is standing firm on its strategy in the West Philippine Sea, where the military will not yet be leading operations, particularly in Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.</p><p>National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Undersecretary Alexander Lopez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive is clear: The Philippines will not make provocative actions in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/16/-not-provoking-anybody-pcg-refutes-chinas-allegations-after-collision-of-ships-1306">PCG tells China: &#x27;It&#x27;s not us who is provoking anybody&#x27;</a></div><p>“Napakalinaw ng directive ng Pangulo: Whatever we do, we will not be the one to provoke,” Lopez said in a press conference of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on Monday.</p><p>“Once you deploy a Navy vessel there, you become like… nangungutya ka, nanghahamaon ka. That is not the policy stand of our government,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/11/marcos-ph-vessels-won-t-back-out-from-scarborough-after-fresh-incident-with-china-1159">Marcos: PH vessels won’t back out from Scarborough after fresh incident with China</a></div><p>According to Lopez, deploying Philippine Navy vessels could increase the risk of “miscalculation or misjudgment” if they encounter People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels.</p><p>“Hindi naman sinasabing hindi tayo nagde-deploy [ng Navy vessels] doon ay naduduwag tayo. We are just being prudent. We do not want this situation to escalate,” he stressed.</p><p>He added that it is not in the best interest of Manila or Beijing to further escalate the situation.</p><p>National Security Adviser Eduardo Año earlier said “it is not yet time” for the Philippine Navy to take the lead in operations in Bajo de Masinloc.</p><p>Año explained that the current approach of letting civilian maritime agencies such as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) be at the forefront of patrols and maritime law enforcement in the shoal remains the most sensible option to avoid escalation.</p><p>National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Assistant Director General Cornelio Valencia Jr. echoed the same stance.</p><p>“We also would like to pursue the PCG as the lead at this point just to ensure the message to our Chinese friends that we are not escalating things. That is the real message of using our civilian Coast Guard. I believe they [China] read it. It’s just a matter for them to accept it,” Valencia said during the press conference.</p><p>Meanwhile, the PCG assured Filipino fishermen of continued support and protection, particularly near the shoal.</p><p>“Filipino fishermen can still go there and engage in fishing ventures. The PCG and BFAR vessels are once in a while deployed in these areas to protect our Filipino fishermen,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea said.</p><p>He also highlighted the PCG’s careful selection and deployment of PCG vessels and officers to counter China’s aggressive actions.</p><p>“We are deploying skippers of the vessels who are excellent in seamanship skills. The display of seamanship skills of Captain Angue, the commanding officer of 4406, is a good evidence of how careful we are in selecting CG vessels whenever we are deployed in the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela noted, referring to the BRP Suluan, which was harassed and chased by two Chinese vessels that eventually collided with each other near Bajo de Masinloc last Monday, August 11.</p><p>At present, the PCG is monitoring the illegal presence of four CCG ships and one Chinese research vessel in Bajo de Masinloc.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/6/pcg-alarmed-by-surge-of-chinese-research-vessels-in-west-philippine-sea-1316">PCG alarmed by surge of Chinese research vessels in West Philippine Sea</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aWQs8zNaefI?si=-JcsJVegvPVbf2ld" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>According to Lopez, deploying Philippine Navy vessels could increase the risk of “miscalculation or misjudgment” if they encounter People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels.</p>

According to Lopez, deploying Philippine Navy vessels could increase the risk of “miscalculation or misjudgment” if they encounter People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels.

‘We will not send warships’: PH keen on civilian-led approach in Bajo de Masinloc

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‘We will not send warships’: PH keen on civilian-led approach in Bajo de Masinloc

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 18, 2025 06:38 PM PHT

|

Updated August 19, 2025 03:44 PM PHT

Read More:

Bajo de Masinloc

Scarborough Shoal

Philippine Coast Guard

Philippine Navy

China

escalation

West Philippine Sea

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