According to Col. Edgard Arevalo, commander of the Navy Civil Military Operations group, said the Navy is still waiting for reports “from our end” to corroborate reports that two Chinese ships, one with bow number 572, were spotted by a US helicopter operating off the USS Blue Ridge, the flagship of the 7th Fleet.
“We are validating it from our side, kasi ang report nun [nanggaling] sa US 7th Fleet e,” he said.
Arevalo said, though, that this would not be the first time that Chinese warships have been seen in or near territory claimed by the Philippines.
He added that the Navy defers to the DFA in developments in the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea that the Philippines claims.
He explained that the “underpinnings” and “repercussions” of the reported sighting of the Chinese ships near Philippine territory falls under the mandate of the Foreign Affairs department.
“Hindi tayo sumasagot sa armed forces lang,” he said.
According to reports, including a May 9 report from US Department of Defense-run Stars and Stripes, a helicopter from the Blue Ridge spotted the two Chinese ships off Panatag on May 5.
The Stars and Stripes report said hull numbers from photos provided by the US Navy “indicate the Chinese ships were the destroyer Lanzhou and the frigate Hengshui.”
In 2012, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar tried to arrest suspected Chinese poachers in Panatag Shoal. This led to a standoff with Chinese maritime surveillance ships.
The Del Pilar left two days later after being relieved by a Philippine Coast Guard vessel for unspecified “operational” reasons. — JDS, GMA News
