(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will seek the support of Australia in resolving territorial disputes in the South China Sea as the Philippines reported the presence of Chinese warships and a helicopter near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) on Tuesday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the President, who will fly to Canberra on February 28 and then to Melbourne on March 4 for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia, would seek help at a time when the rules-based international order "is very much under challenge."

On the eve of the President's departure, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed the presence of Chinese warships and a helicopter near Bajo de Masinloc.

PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commo. Jay Tarriela said during its last mission in the area, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spotted three People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships near Bajo de Masinloc.

The warships, however, maintained a distance of more than 20 nautical miles from the shoal, he said.

"It is important for us to note that within ... the 12 nautical miles, we have territorial sovereignty over these waters," Tarriela said during a press briefing. "So these Chinese warships have always maintained that they are outside the 12 nautical miles."

At the same time, the BFAR vessel monitored the presence of a Chinese Navy helicopter flying over the waters of Bajo de Masinloc.

"What the BFAR ship and other Filipino fishing vessels do is they try to determine where the helicopter took off," Tarriela said, adding that they thought at first that it came from a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship.

He said the chopper was gray and had "Chinese markings" on its side that translated to "Chinese Navy."

"This is the first time that we have sighted this kind of aircraft in the area," Tarriela said.

Earlier this month, the PCG said China had reinstalled a floating barrier near Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Two CCG vessels (3063 and 3064) were also positioned at the entrance to the lagoon, and speedboats were deployed to make sure the floating barriers were well guarded, Tarriela said.

In September 2023, the PCG on the President's orders cut a 300-meter barrier installed by China to keep Filipino fishermen out of the shoal. At the time, it also vowed to "do whatever it takes" to remove any more floating barriers installed by China.

The PCG and BFAR started their regular rotational deployment in Bajo de Masinloc early this month.

The move is part of efforts to secure Filipino fishermen in these waters and to help achieve the government's vision of food security, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said.

Bajo de Masinloc is located 120 nautical miles west of Luzon, which places it within the Philippines' EEZ.

Oldest partner

In a pre-departure press briefing Tuesday in Malacañang, Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said the President's participation at the summit was important as it would give Asean and Australian leaders a chance to discuss geopolitical issues affecting the region.

"If you will remember, Australia is the Asean's oldest dialogue partner. It's also one of the most active, one of the most dynamic in all fronts — in the political security, economic and socio-cultural pillars of Asean," Espiritu said.

MEDIA CONFERENCE. Press Briefer Daphne Oseña-Paez (left) presides over the Malacañang Palace briefing in Manila on Tuesday (Feb. 27, 2024) with Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu (center) and spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza. They said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s official trips, like his engagements in Australia on Feb. 28 and 29 and March 4 to 6, cement strategic partnerships and shared interests, especially in the economic and peace aspects. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

"As the first Asean Leaders level engagement for the year, the summit presents an opportunity for us to present the Philippines' core position on regional and international issues and set the tone for dialogue partner summits later in the year, especially in October," he added.

Espiritu said Marcos is expected to attend the Leaders' Plenary and the Leaders' Retreat, the two main engagements on the Asean-Australia Summit on March 6.

He said the President would take the opportunity to thank Australia for its unwavering support for the rule of law, the 1982 United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on the South China Sea.

"The President may also highlight Asean-Australia cooperation on maritime issues, climate and clean energy..., people-to-people exchange, and economic cooperation," Espiritu said.

"At the Leaders Retreat, the President may encourage Australia to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to maintain respect for the rules-based international order and multilateralism, which is currently very much under challenge," he added.

At the same press briefing, Foreign Affairs spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said the South China Sea issue will be raised, given that both the Philippines and Australia are maritime nations that must ensure peace at sea.

"We have very strong defense and security relations with Australia. They have been partners with us for a long time, even before the official establishment of relations because they were with us as partners during World War 2, and now the relations have actually seen an elevation from comprehensive to strategic partnership," Daza said.

Jamming

In the same public briefing, Tarriela accused China of jamming the tracking signal of PCG and BFAR ships that are patrolling the shoal.

He said it was the third time they noticed that whenever the PCG and BFAR vessels come close to Bajo de Masinloc, they lose their automatic identification system (AIS) signal.

AIS platforms allow maritime authorities to track and monitor vessel movements.

Tarriela said they believe that the CCG is jamming the tracking signal of PCG ships, so the Philippine government will not be able to monitor the movement of its vessels effectively once they are out at sea.

He said the signal jamming almost always happens "in the same hour" when China declares that it has successfully driven Philippine ships away from Bajo de Masinloc.

The CCG recently claimed that it "expelled a BFAR vessel and PCG vessel" that allegedly intruded into their waters.

This claim was dismissed by the Philippine government.

However, a pro-Beijing group, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, said the PCG's allegation of signal jamming was "hurled without evidence."

The group's president, Herman Tiu Laurel, said this "may be a way to cover up the invariable failure to break the CCG blockade of construction materials to BRP Sierra Madre and guarding of the entrances to the Scarborough Shoal lagoon fish sanctuary."

He said the move to get Filipino fishermen to congregate at Scarborough Shoal was aimed at multiplying their numbers to provoke a reaction from the Chinese.

"None of these gimmicks change the fundamentals of the situation and only magnify tensions," he said.

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