PCG to review drone protocol in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will review how it would operate its aerial drones to document the maritime patrol of its officers and assets, including the intrusion of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues, revealed the PCG failed to fly drones when the China Coast Guard’s (CCG) patrol ship 3104 crashed onto the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)-Navy warship 164 last Aug. 11.

The two Chinese ships were trying to pursue and drive away the PCG’s 44-meter patrol vessel BRP Suluan when they collided. The Chinese vessels were estimated to be sailing at a speed between 22 and 25 knots.

“This is my first time to disclose that we were not able to launch our drones. We suspect China has jammed the signal for us not to bring our drones out and take videos,” Tarriela said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City last Aug. 16, five days after the incident.

The now viral incident was filmed from the deck of the Suluan.

The PCG has been using its drones, a mix of ones procured by the agency and those donated by countries such as Australia and Germany, Tarriela said.

“We always fly drones especially when we are subjected to dangerous maneuvers. We have to document and submit it to the National Task Force (on the West Philippine Sea) and release it to the public,” he said.

Tarriela said the PCG was “currently evaluating how we launch drones and prevent China from jamming the signal.”

He also lambasted Chinese state publication Global Times for “failing to depict the full context by deliberately omitting the PLA-Navy vessel and the collision incident.”

On Aug. 13, Global Times posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account videos of the chase between CCG 3104 and BRP Suluan, and even reported “the (PCG) ship 4406 (BRP Suluan) conducted highly dangerous maneuvers on Chinese law enforcement vessels during its intrusion into waters near China’s Huangyan Dao in the South China Sea.” Huangyan Dao is China’s name for Panatag Shoal, also called Bajo de Masinloc and Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese vessels were reportedly trying to interfere in a humanitarian mission by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, wherein food and fuel supplies were delivered to Filipino fishermen navigating Panatag Shoal.

The Chinese government reportedly called it a “staged” act and accused the Philippines of “encroaching” on Chinese territory.

Tarriela responded, “We are not encroaching in our own waters. We do not recognize the illegal claim of China, which has been already resolved by the 2016 arbitral ruling.”