PCG drives away Chinese militia vessel, 24 fishing boats off Kota Island in Kalayaan Island Group

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The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday said it drove away a Chinese maritime militia vessel (CMMV) and 24 small boats allegedly fishing in Kota Island waters in the Kalayaan Island Group on Monday.

In a statement, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said CMMV 9622 was monitored around 10 a.m. about 1.2 nautical miles northwest of Kota Island.

The vessel launched 24 small boats or “sampans,” each reportedly carrying two people.

“Launching two dozen small boats from a single militia platform is a force-multiplying tactic that extends the mothership's reach and reinforces Chinese presence under a civilian appearance, below the threshold of overt coercion,” Tarriela said.

Tarriela called out violation and noted that Kota Island is part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan.

PCG DRIVES AWAY CHINESE MARITIME MILITIA VESSEL AND 24 SMALL BOATS ILLEGALLY FISHING IN THE TERRITORIAL SEA OF KOTA ISLAND

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) drove away Chinese Maritime Militia Vessel (CMMV) 9622 and twenty-four (24) small boats ("sampans") it deployed within the… pic.twitter.com/Eg5syozQDx

— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) September 28, 2026

“Fishing by foreign vessels within its territorial sea, without Philippine authority, violates Philippine sovereignty, Philippine fisheries laws, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). CMMV 9622's refusal to answer radio challenges likewise disregards basic norms of good seamanship,” he said.

Tarriela said the boats spread out at roughly 50-yard intervals and were later seen circling within 300 yards of the island while fishing.

A five-member PCG team from Coast Guard Station Kota deployed on a rubber boat to challenge the vessels but the CMMV 9622 ignored the radio challenges.

The Chinese crew only acknowledged instructions to leave through hand signals, according to PCG. The Chinese mothership and all 24 sampans immediately withdrew from the area, it added.

All PCG personnel returned safely to the station with no reported untoward incident.

“The PCG will sustain its presence on and around Kota Island, continue to challenge and drive away foreign vessels operating illegally in Philippine waters, and keep disclosing such activities to the Filipino people,” Tarriela said.

“This operation is in accordance with the guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has declared that the Philippines will not be cowed into silence, submission, or subservience in the face of illegal and coercive actions by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia, and who has called on Filipinos to defend what is ours with firm national resolve,” he added. —VAL, GMA News