By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela on Thursday (22 Feb 2024) branded as “inaccurate” China Coast Guard’s (CCG) claim that it repelled a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel near Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc.
Tarriela said the BFAR vessel, BRP DATU SANDAY, “is actively ensuring the security of Filipino fishermen in that area,” as of this posting.
“Interestingly, some of our media friends are embedded onboard the BFAR vessel, and their forthcoming reports upon completion of the mission will confirm the accuracy of our statement,” the PCG official said.
In a post on X by China-backed Global Times, it claimed that the CCG had “repelled” the Philippines’ BFAR Ship 3002.
PCG officials cited a ruling by an international court in The Hague in 2016 that ruled that the Philippines has fishing rights over Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
(el Amigo/MNM)
