The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), through Coast Guard Station (CGS) Kota, led a joint operation with the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Marine Corps that repelled five (5) unauthorized foreign fishing vessels from the waters of Kota Island on 11 October 2026.
At approximately 2:15 PM, PCG personnel on Kota Island sighted a foreign fishing vessel preparing to conduct illegal fishing only about 200 meters from the shoreline, while another was loitering one (1) nautical mile west of the island, both well within its 12-nautical-mile territorial sea. Neither vessel responded to radio challenges.
At 3:00 PM, two (2) rubber boats manned by six (6) PCG personnel were deployed. As the team approached, the vessel near the shoreline hauled back a sampan it had deployed, while three (3) additional foreign fishing vessels were sighted approaching the island. Upon the continued approach of the PCG team, all five vessels withdrew and moved away until they were outside the territorial sea of Kota Island. The operation concluded at 4:00 PM without any untoward incident.
This is the third operation by CGS Kota in two weeks to drive away foreign vessels from the island. On 09 October 2026, the PCG repelled Chinese Maritime Militia Vessel (CMMV) 9622 and its twenty-two (22) sampans, after the same vessel was also repelled on 28 September 2026.
Kota Island is an integral part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan. Under international law, the Philippines exercises full sovereignty over its territorial sea, where no foreign vessel may fish without authorization. Such activities also violate the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
Under the leadership of PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, the PCG continues to monitor the waters around Kota Island and will sustain its vigilance against further intrusions in the Kalayaan Island Group, in close coordination with the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Marine Corps.
This operation was carried out in accordance with the guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who, in his State of the Nation Address on 27 July 2026, recognized the PCG, the AFP, and Filipino fishermen as he reaffirmed his commitment to uphold the 2016 Arbitral Award. The President has consistently stressed that the government will continue to defend the country’s maritime territory and the rights of Filipino fishermen.
