The Philippine Navy confirmed Tuesday it has contingency plans in place in case China deliberately grounds a vessel near Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson for the WPS, made the statement after a suspected Chinese maritime militia vessel (bow number 16838) ran aground Saturday at Pagasa Reef 1, just a nautical mile from Pagasa Island. He said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) does not operate on speculation but is prepared for “any eventuality.”
According to Trinidad, adverse weather—two to three-meter waves and strong winds—likely caused the grounding. A China Coast Guard vessel (bow number 5102) reportedly made contact with the grounded ship, which later managed to free itself after about three hours without external assistance.
The Philippine Coast Guard monitored the incident and confirmed that no significant environmental damage was initially reported. “It wasn’t stranded there for long,” Trinidad said.
Amid heightened tensions, Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said the Army is ready to deploy troops to features in the WPS. “We’re highly mobile and can move battalion-sized units anywhere in the country,” he noted.
