A Chinese Navy warship challenged a Philippine aircraft during a routine patrol near Bajo de Masinloc on Monday morning. For the first time, Philippine Coast Guard officials suspect possible signal jamming by China after Starlink connections repeatedly dropped in the area. The incident occurs amid ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
On Monday morning, the Philippine Coast Guard's Coast Guard Islander departed from Manila around 7 a.m. for a maritime domain awareness flight after observing a large number of Filipino fishing boats near Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal in Zambales. In a Zoom interview, spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said they monitored three China Coast Guard vessels at a distance of 33.6 nautical miles from the shoal.
When they reached approximately 60 nautical miles off the Zambales coast, a People's Liberation Army Navy warship with bow number 554 challenged their flight. The patrol concluded around 11 a.m. Additionally, the PCG deployed the BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) and monitored the BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), which was heading to Bajo de Masinloc to support the government's “Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda” program. Thirty-five Filipino fishing boats received fuel subsidies during the patrol.
Tarriela also reported concerns over Starlink connections on Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels and the PCG's MRRV-4409, which repeatedly dropped when approaching the shoal. “We believe this may be due to signal jamming by the People's Republic of China,” he said. This occurs consistently whenever vessels enter the 24-nautical-mile range near Bajo de Masinloc.
The encounter reflects Beijing's ongoing aggression based on its sovereignty claims over nearly the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. China continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its claims and favored the Philippines.