19K ships monitored in PH waters last January

MANILA, February 8 ------ The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), along with the Philippine Navy (PN), monitored a total of 19,655 local and foreign ships all over the country's waters last January, a ranking naval official said.

PN spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, said last month's monitoring reflects "sustained maritime activity within Philippine waters." He added that 16,670 of these ships were foreign vessels, while 2,985 were domestic. "(Also) 16,098 vessels responded to radio challenges, while 3,557 did not," the PN official said.

Trinidad said vessel activity was highest in the North (7,639), followed by Western Mindanao (4,366), the West (3,990), Southern Luzon (2,482), and Eastern Mindanao (1,178), highlighting the strategic importance of these maritime approaches. Monitoring period took place from Jan. 1 to 31, the PN official said. "These figures reflect the AFP’s steadfast commitment to safeguarding national territory, sovereignty, and sovereign rights. Consistent with national policy, the AFP will continue to uphold international law, maintain a credible and disciplined presence, and protect our rights and interests in support of regional peace and stability," he added.

Chinese naval, coast guard ships Meanwhile, 48 naval and coast guard ships from China were monitored in four key West Philippine Sea (WPS) features from late January to Feb. 2. Trinidad said that these can be broken down into the following:

- Bajo de Masinloc-10 People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) naval vessels and 11 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships;

- Ayungin Shoal- 12 CCG ships;

- Escoda Shoal-three PLAN and five CCG craft;

- Pag-asa Island- two PLAN and five CCG ships.

For this monitoring period, the PN did not include the numbers of the so-called Chinese maritime militia vessels.

Source: pna.gov.ph