August 17, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will overview how it will function its aerial drones to doc the maritime patrol of its officers and property, together with the intrusion of Chinese language ships within the West Philippine Sea.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea points, revealed the PCG didn’t fly drones when the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) patrol ship 3104 crashed onto the Individuals’s Liberation Military (PLA)-Navy warship 164 final Aug. 11.
The 2 Chinese language ships have been making an attempt to pursue and drive away the PCG’s 44-meter patrol vessel BRP Suluan after they collided. The Chinese language vessels have been estimated to be crusing at a velocity between 22 and 25 knots.
“That is my first time to reveal that we weren’t capable of launch our drones. We suspect China has jammed the sign for us to not deliver our drones out and take movies,” Tarriela mentioned in the course of the Saturday Information Discussion board in Quezon Metropolis final Aug. 16, 5 days after the incident.
The now viral incident was filmed from the deck of the Suluan.
The PCG has been utilizing its drones, a mixture of ones procured by the company and people donated by international locations similar to Australia and Germany, Tarriela mentioned.
“We at all times fly drones particularly after we are subjected to harmful maneuvers. We now have to doc and submit it to the Nationwide Process Drive (on the West Philippine Sea) and launch it to the general public,” he mentioned.
Tarriela mentioned the PCG was “at present evaluating how we launch drones and forestall China from jamming the sign.”
He additionally lambasted Chinese language state publication World Instances for “failing to depict the complete context by intentionally omitting the PLA-Navy vessel and the collision incident.”
On Aug. 13, World Instances posted on its X (previously Twitter) account movies of the chase between CCG 3104 and BRP Suluan, and even reported “the (PCG) ship 4406 (BRP Suluan) performed extremely harmful maneuvers on Chinese language legislation enforcement vessels throughout its intrusion into waters close to China’s Huangyan Dao within the South China Sea.” Huangyan Dao is China’s title for Panatag Shoal, additionally known as Bajo de Masinloc and Scarborough Shoal.
The Chinese language vessels have been reportedly making an attempt to intervene in a humanitarian mission by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Assets, whereby meals and gasoline provides have been delivered to Filipino fishermen navigating Panatag Shoal.
The Chinese language authorities reportedly known as it a “staged” act and accused the Philippines of “encroaching” on Chinese language territory.
Tarriela responded, “We aren’t encroaching in our personal waters. We don’t acknowledge the unlawful declare of China, which has been already resolved by the 2016 arbitral ruling.”