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Navy: No China coordinated patrol during PH-Japan WPS maritime drill

Philippine News Agency

By Priam Nepomuceno
June 17, 2025, 3:57 pm

MANILA -- A ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official on Tuesday disputed Chinese claims that it conducted coordinated air and maritime patrol as Filipino and Japanese military units were holding their second bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last week.

"The PN did not monitor any coordinated air and maritime patrols in our maritime zones conducted by the Southern Theater Command. What we have monitored is the continued illegal presence in our maritime zones of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy and the China Coast Guard (CCG), specifically in Bajo de Masinloc, Pag-asa (Island) Sabina, and Ayungin Shoals," PN spokesperson for WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

He added that such attempts at "misinformation, disinformation and malinformation to shape the internal and domestic narrative" aim to support the Chinese Communist Party's illegal claims in the Philippines' maritime domain.

Trinidad also said that during the conduct of the second bilateral MCA between the PN and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, a PLAN warship was spotted tailing the naval formation.

The maritime exercise was conducted west of Zambales up to the northwest of Occidental Mindoro.

Trinidad said the Chinese vessel also launched and recovered drones.

"Last 15 June, two PLAN warships and two CCG ships were monitored in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc. On the 15th, two Chinese Coast Guard ships launched and recovered RHIBs in Ayungin Shoal and another PLAN warship was spotted in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal," he added.

Trinidad said that everytime the Philippines and its partner nations conduct a "bilateral or multilateral maritime activity," China always comes up with malign influence or fake news stating that they have conducted patrols in the vicinity of the country's maritime domain.

"What we monitored was their continued illegal presence. Now, they are doing this in order to address number one, the internal audience in order to gain popular support, raise a sense of nationalism, (and) to perpetuate the Chinese Communist Party in power," he said.

"Secondly is to shape the international narrative that would be favorable to their illegal claims in our maritime zones. At any rate, let us be very careful in digesting reports that the PLAN or the Southern Theater Command conducted such patrols in our maritime domain. They will not justify their continued illegal presence in our maritime zones." (PNA)