Palace concerned by presence of big China ship in EEZ
The Palace viewed the presence of China's world's largest coast guard vessel within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for the last four days with concern.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that the Philippine Coast Guard has been challenging the presence of the China Coast Guard "Monster'' ship within the country's EEZ.
"So far we have been challenging the presence of that Monster ship. Our Coast Guard has always been very alert in following-up the presence of that monster ship that comes and goes and it is within our Exclusive Economic Zone, so we challenge that," he said.
Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said any intrusion within the Philippine territory is concerning for the military.
"Any intrusion, even only one ship, is a concern of the AFP and we coordinate with the Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Maritime Police, and other government agencies to address such." he said.
"Yes, it is concerning. Not only the Monster ship, but even the other intrusions in our EEZ in the West Philippine Sea. PCG, PLAN, and the Maritime Militia, research vessel on the eastern seaboard, on the Northern Passage. We take this seriously," he added.
Amid the intrusion, Trinidad noted that the Philippine military is coordinating with its allied countries for information sharing.
"We have an existing information-sharing agreement with our treaty ally and other partner nations. Yes, even without reports of this so-called monster ship, that information-sharing activity has been going on," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
