Philippine Forces Drive Off Chinese Militia at Kota Island

Philippine forces drove a Chinese maritime militia mothership and 22 accompanying sampans out of the territorial waters around Kota Island on October 9, the second such confrontation at the same location in less than two weeks.

Chinese Maritime Militia Vessel 9622 returned to waters near Kota Island (also called Loaita Island, part of the Kalayaan Island Group in Palawan) on Friday morning. According to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), the militia vessel deployed 22 sampans that engaged in what the task force described as unauthorised fishing and waste dumping at sea. One sampan came within 250 metres of the island's shoreline before Philippine units responded.

When Philippine Coast Guard personnel arrived, backed by elements of the Philippine Marine Corps and Philippine Navy, the Chinese militia vessel moved to encircle their patrol vessels. Its master told the Philippine team that the surrounding waters were Chinese territory and ordered them to withdraw. Philippine forces did not leave. They held position until CMMV 9622 and all 22 sampans retreated from the island's territorial sea.

The NTF-WPS condemned the incursion as a violation of Republic Act No. 12064, the Maritime Zones Act, and the country's Fisheries Code. The task force said Philippine sovereignty over Kota Island has no basis for Chinese claims under international law, and that it would continue to respond to similar incidents "firmly, lawfully, and resolutely."

The same CMMV 9622 had launched 24 sampans near Kota Island on September 28 in what Philippine authorities at the time called an effort to extend the militia vessel's reach while maintaining a civilian appearance. That first incursion ended in a similar standoff. The October 9 return, eleven days later with a slightly smaller sampan force, suggests a pattern of probing Philippine resolve at the island.

Kota Island lies within the Kalayaan Island Group, which the Philippines has administered since 1978. China also claims sovereignty over it. The confrontation fits a broader pattern of Chinese pressure on Philippine-held features in the West Philippine Sea. Most recently, a China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine fisheries bureau vessel near Sabina Shoal on September 18.