Philippine President Marcos Jr. Calls The Presence Of Chinese Ships In The South China Sea Worrying

JAKARTA - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the presence of Chinese Navy ships in the South China Sea was worrying that it would still not prevent his country from defending its maritime territory and protecting its fishermen.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) saw the presence of Chinese naval vessels during a patrol mission by the Fisheries and Water Resources Bureau (BFAR) at the Beting Scarborough which was contested in the South China Sea last week.

The BFAR ship, which PCG says is overshadowed and blocked by a Chinese coast guard ship, also distributes fuel to Filipino fishermen in the region.

"We continue to support all of our fishermen, our fishermen who make a living from this fishing area and we will continue to help them despite obstructing efforts, overshadowing," said President Marcos Jr., as reported by Reuters on February 28.

Previously, BRP Datu Sanday supplied fuel to fishermen near Scarborough Shoal when it was disturbed by Chinese coast guard boats and three other Chinese ships on February 22, the Philippine coast guard said, as quoted by SCMP.

Three of the four Chinese ships are within 100m (328 ft) from the bow of Datu Sanday, he said in an incident report that also included a shadowing, disruption of the ship's engine and other dangerous maneuvers.

It is known that Scarborough Shoal, a series of triangular reefs and rocks, has been a point of conflict between countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012.

Since then, Beijing has deployed patrol boats that Manila says have disrupted Philippine ships and prevented Philippine fishermen from accessing fish-rich lagoons there.

Scarborough Shoal itself is located 240 km (150 miles) west of the main island of Luzon in the Philippines and nearly 900 km from China's closest main mainland, Hainan.

China itself claims almost the entire territorial waters and ignores the international court's decision stating that their statement has no legal basis.

Tensions between China and the Philippines around the disputed coral reefs last year led to a number of incidents involving ships from the two countries, including firing water cannons by Chinese ships onto Philippine ships.