The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), through Coast Guard Station (CGS) Kota under the Coast Guard District Kalayaan Island Group, led a joint operation with the Philippine Marine Corps and the Philippine Navy that successfully repelled Chinese Maritime Militia Vessel (CMMV) 9622 and its twenty-two (22) deployed sampans from the territorial sea of Kota Island on 09 October 2026.
At approximately 3:00 PM, PCG personnel stationed on Kota Island sighted and monitored the Chinese sampans conducting unauthorized fishing activities approximately 0.55 nautical miles northwest of the island, with the nearest sampan observed only about 250 meters from the shoreline, well within the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of Kota Island. The Chinese vessels were also observed dumping waste at sea.
At 3:30 PM, two (2) rubber boats departed Kota Island manned by a joint team of PCG personnel from the Special Operations Group, Maritime Law Enforcement Group, Coast Guard District Kalayaan Island Group, and a medical personnel, together with three (3) Philippine Marines. On shore, Philippine Navy personnel provided radio and communications support, while Philippine Marines maintained monitoring and situational updates throughout the operation.
During the operation, the Chinese mothership circled and encircled the two PCG rubber boats, while its master used hand signals claiming the area and directing the PCG team to leave. Undeterred, the PCG team expelled the sampans one by one over a period of approximately two hours. One sampan refused to leave, resulting in minor contact, with no injuries or damage sustained. The sampan eventually complied and departed.
By 5:30 PM, all Chinese vessels had been pushed back to approximately 3.5 nautical miles from Kota Island and departed toward the northwest, and the operation was terminated.
CMMV 9622 is the same Chinese maritime militia vessel that the PCG repelled from Kota Island less than two weeks ago. On 28 September 2026, the same vessel deployed twenty-four (24) sampans that circled within 300 yards of the island before withdrawing upon the arrival of a PCG team from CGS Kota.
Kota Island is an integral part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Province of Palawan. The presence of a Chinese maritime militia vessel coordinating a fleet of sampans as close as 250 meters from the shoreline is a blatant violation of the territorial sea of Kota Island and an affront to Philippine sovereignty. Under international law, the Philippines exercises full sovereignty over its territorial sea, and no foreign vessel may engage in fishing activities within it. Such conduct is likewise a clear violation of Philippine laws, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act. The claim made by the Chinese vessel’s master that the area belongs to China has no basis whatsoever under international law.
Under the leadership of PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, the PCG continues to monitor the area and will sustain its vigilance against any further intrusion by foreign vessels in the Kalayaan Island Group. The successful joint operation likewise demonstrates the close coordination among the PCG, the Philippine Marine Corps, and the Philippine Navy stationed in the Kalayaan Island Group in safeguarding the country’s maritime domain.
This operation was carried out in accordance with the guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has made clear that the government will continue to protect the sovereignty and defend the territory of the Republic, as well as protect and defend its people. On National Heroes’ Day this year, the President also recognized the men and women of the PCG, the AFP, and the BFAR, together with Filipino fisherfolk, for standing at the forefront of protecting national interests in the West Philippine Sea.
