A month after the hysterics, sadly participated in by our own Defense and Foreign Affairs secretaries, the so-called “intrusion” by 200 Chinese “maritime militia in our territory” is turning out to be a hoax. It is a hoax since no iota of evidence has been presented that the vessels were China’s maritime militia. They were Chinese fishing fleets, huge ones, yes, because these are deep-sea fishing vessels. They massed at the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef not because they were in a military formation but because that is what fishing fleets do to brace against storms, in this case against a fierce northeast monsoon last month. It gives the vessels more stability when they are tied up together, ensuring that a lone vessel does not float away helpless in a storm.

Tiglao, R. D. (2021, April 23). Chinese maritime militia invasion a hoax; Duterte should fire Lorenzana and Locsin. The Manila Times, pp. A1, A5.