No confrontation marked the approach of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship and another vessel owned by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) towards the Chinese militia vessels swarming at the Julian Felipe Reef on Tuesday and Wednesday. Commodore Armand Balilo, the PCG spokesperson, gave “no exact figures on the number of (Chinese) vessels” still present in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a territory being contested by China. Photographs provided by the PCG to the public, however, showed six Chinese maritime vessels that did not move despite the close approach of the PCG’s BRP Cabra (MRRV-4409) that was commissioned in 2018 for environmental and humanitarian missions as well for maritime security and patrol.

Blancaflor, M., Locus, S., Ayeng, R., Murcia, A., & Maralit, K. (2021, April 16). 'Silent diplomacy' keeps peace at WPS. Daily Tribune, p. A2.