00:00Even though the Philippine Coast Guard or PCG is now faced with a tension-filled situation of preventing China's so-called
00:07monstership from getting closer to the country's territory, the rotation and resupply or row remissions in the Ayungin Shoal
00:16conversely have all been successful and have not been harassed by Chinese vessels of late. Patrick De Jesus has the details.
00:30The Philippine Navy conducted a unilateral exercise within the vicinity of Baode Masinlok today.
00:36BRP Antonio Luna, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, and BRP Andres Bonifacio
00:42carried out live-fire drills while also conducting sovereignty patrol in the West Philippine Sea.
00:48The said unilateral exercise demonstrates the importance of training as an effective tool in achieving and
00:56maintaining level of readiness and
00:59interoperability in line with the Navy's mandate in securing Philippine seas and upholding territorial integrity.
01:06For 13 days, the Philippine Coast Guard has been closely monitoring the monstership of the China Coast Guard.
01:15Currently, BRP Gabriela Silang is shadowing the vessel to ensure it remains
01:2070 nautical miles away from the coastline of Zambales province.
01:25Radio challenges between both sides continue.
01:28To avoid escalation, leave the area immediately and stay away from it. Over.
01:35You do not possess an illegal authority to patrol inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
01:43You are directed to depart immediately and notify us of your intentions.
01:48Your illegal activity will be reported to higher authorities.
01:53Several lawmakers praised the PCG's actions, despite China testing the country's limits.
01:59Our problem is we have an aggressive neighbor in the north. China is an aggressive neighbor.
02:05And I think they're testing the limits and patience of our government and of course, our Armed Forces of the Philippines, our Navy, and our Coast Guard.
02:14We should practice prudence. We should practice, of course, restraint because we don't want this to escalate.
02:20We don't want this to escalate.
02:22What our Coast Guard is doing is right, they are patrolling this ship, their monster ship.
02:30They are shadowing it. It's called shadowing.
02:32Senator JV Ejercito emphasized that while he remains hopeful for positive outcomes in the bilateral talks,
02:40he also believes the Philippines must strengthen its defense posture.
02:45Since July last year, four consecutive rotation and resupply Aurora missions to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayunginshol have been successfully carried out
02:56without any reported harassment or untoward incidents.
03:00The most recent mission was in December, when Christmas packages were delivered to the troops stationed there,
03:07as well as to personnel in eight other Philippine-occupied features in the West Philippine Sea.
03:13During these times, a provisional agreement between the Philippines and China was in place regarding raw remissions to Ayungin.
03:21Philippine Foreign Affairs Under-Secretary Maria Teresa Lazaro and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong
03:29led the 10th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism held in Xiamen, Fujian, China last Thursday.
03:35Both parties recognized the positive outcomes of the provisional agreement on raw remissions to BRP Sierra Madre.
03:42agreeing to continue its implementation for de-escalation while maintaining their respective national positions.
03:50The Philippine government also expressed concern over the continued presence of China's so-called monster ship and other Chinese vessels,
04:00which violate the UNCLOS and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
04:04During the BCM, both sides agreed to strengthen the platform for coast guard cooperation between the Philippines and China.
