(Photo courtesy of PIA)
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) drove away an unauthorized foreign fishing vessel from the territorial waters of Pag-asa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan, on October 25, 2026.
According to the PCG, personnel stationed on Pag-asa Island spotted the vessel approximately 2.7 nautical miles west of the island, near Sandy Cay, within the Philippines’ 12-nautical-mile territorial sea.
Coast Guard personnel initially issued radio warnings directing the vessel to leave the area.
Later that afternoon, the PCG deployed High-Speed Response Boat HSRB-019 with a law enforcement team to approach the vessel and issue further warnings through a loudhailer.
The team informed the vessel that unauthorized fishing within Pag-asa Island’s territorial waters was prohibited and ordered it to leave.
The PCG then escorted the fishing vessel at a safe distance until it moved beyond the island’s territorial sea. The operation ended without incident.
During the operation, China Coast Guard Vessel 21581 and two rigid-hull inflatable boats reportedly followed HSRB-019 and monitored the Philippine Coast Guard’s activities.
Despite their presence, the PCG said its personnel completed the operation without interference.
The agency maintained that the China Coast Guard has no legal authority to conduct law enforcement activities within Pag-asa Island’s territorial sea, adding that its continued presence is being monitored and documented.
The latest operation marked the PCG’s seventh effort in less than four weeks to drive away unauthorized foreign vessels from the Kalayaan Island Group.
Previous operations involved foreign fishing vessels and Chinese maritime militia vessels near Kota and Lawak islands between September 28 and October 23.
The PCG emphasized that Pag-asa Island, which serves as the administrative center of the municipality of Kalayaan in Palawan, is home to a Filipino civilian community.
It reiterated that unauthorized foreign fishing within Philippine territorial waters violates domestic laws, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
Under the leadership of PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Rommel Supangan, the agency plans to deploy additional high-speed response boats to strengthen maritime patrols and respond more quickly to unauthorized activities in the Kalayaan Island Group.
The PCG said the operation was consistent with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to defending Philippine territory and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law and the 2016 arbitral award.
