THE Philippine government slammed China over the “unprofessional and reckless”actions of one of its helicopters, which flew dangerously close to a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) light aircraft conducting a routine patrol over Bajo de Masinloc on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.
In a statement, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said it is deeply disturbed when Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)-Navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter hovered as close as three meters above a BFAR Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft during a routine maritime domain awareness flight.
“This blatantly hazardous action endangered the safety of the pilots and passengers onboard. It demonstrated a lack of regard for internationally accepted norms on good airmanship and flight safety,” the NMC said.
Aboard the BFP aircraft were personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and several members of the media.
The PCG said China’s reckless action posed a serious risk to the safety of the pilots and passengers of the flight.
The NMC maintained that the Philippines has an “undeniable sovereignty and jurisdiction” over Bajo de Masinloc.
It said China’s continuous “illegal, coercive and aggressive behavior” over the West Philippine Sea will not deter Philippine forces in conducting operations in the disputed area.
“The Philippines will not waver in its duty to safeguard its maritime interests over the shoal, in accordance with Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and international law, particularly Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award. The Philippine government will also issue a formal diplomatic protest on this grave incident,” it said.
“The Philippines is committed to the rule of law and will always uphold international law. We urge China to respect international law, engage in responsible state behavior, pursue peaceful settlement of disputes, and refrain from actions that undermine regional peace and stability,” it added.
Meanwhile, PLA Southern Theater Command spokesperson Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli said the Philippines was spreading “false narratives” about the incident.
He maintained that the Philippine aircraft “illegally intruded” into China's territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission of the Chinese government.
Chinese forces have been harassing Philippine troops in the West Philippine Sea as China refuses to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its claims over the sea areas within the nine-dash line, which encompasses over 90 percent of the WPS.
The Philippine government has filed dozens of diplomatic protests with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and issued note verbale in response to the repeated aggression and harassment of Filipino troops and fishermen in the WPS. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)