THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday challenged the presence of a Chinese research vessel operating near the northern coast of Luzon, even as maritime monitoring groups said Beijing has been conducting intrusive patrols in the country’s resource-rich Reed Bank, which is within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Using Canada’s Dark Vessel Detection program, the PCG detected the Chinese Research Vessel (CRV) Tan Suo Er Hao on Tuesday, Dec. 30, moving within about 19 nautical miles off Cagayan province. In response, PCG commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan immediately deployed a PCG Islander aircraft to conduct a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight to verify the vessel’s activities and assert the country’s sovereign rights.

Baroña, F. J. C. (2026, January 1). Coast Guard challenges Chinese research ship. The Manila Times, pp. A1, A2.