PCG: China Coast Guard did not block PH survey vessels

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday clarified that the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel did not block the Philippine survey ship heading to Bajo de Masinloc.

“That’s actually not true. The China Coast Guard vessels did not intercept BRP Gabriela Silang and BRP Ventura,” PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a press conference.

“There is a presence of a China Coast Guard vessel, that is China Coast Guard vessel 5303. But it did not block the Philippine ship,” he added.

According to Tarriela, the CCG vessel was just monitoring and tailing the PCG vessel BRP Gabriela Silang and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) ship BRP Hydrographer Ventura.

Tarriela said the hydrographic survey of the Philippines is still ongoing in northwestern Luzon.

GMA News Online has sought comment from NAMRIA through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) about the incident but it has yet to provide a statement as of posting time.

Earlier, it was reported that the CCG vessels supposedly blocked the two Philippine ships going to Bajo de Masinloc for a hydrographic survey.

NAMRIA had announced that they would be taking a hydrographic survey near the shoal, and soon after two CCG and 10 Chinese maritime militia ships were seen at the Bajo de Masinloc. —LDF, GMA Integrated News