Chinese fishing and maritime militia vessels that are inside the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) are irregularly moving and are changing locations, but the government has managed to track them, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said. Esperon, who is also the chairman of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), disclosed the Chinese boats’ pattern of movements while emphasizing that the country has not given up any of its maritime claims by guarding all of the islands and features that it owns in those territories. “We have our stations, eight stations. Look at the flags. Our biggest station is Pagasa Island. We have maritime patrols over the area. Our Coast Guard are deployed in the area, the Bureau of Fisheries vessels and the Philippine National Police, it’s a combined effort,” Esperon said at a virtual briefing on the fishery situation in the WPS.

Acosta, R. (2021, August 30). Chinese boats in WPS constantly changing locations–Esperon. Business Mirror, p. A9.