Manuel Mogato | October 4, 2026
MANILA — Two Chinese multi-role fighters intercepted a slow-moving Philippine Air Force aircraft on maritime domain patrol near a disputed shoal in the West Philippine Sea, a military spokesman said on Sunday.
A Philippine Air Force (PAF) turboprop plane was flying close to Bajo de Masinloc when two Chinese aircraft, including an advanced J-16 fighter, appeared and maneuvered in front of the slow-moving plane, said Colonel Xerxes Trinidad.
“These maneuvers posed an aviation safety risk,” Trinidad said. “This incident is part of a recurring pattern of unsafe and coercive behavior against Philippine government vessels and aircraft conducting lawful operations.”
Trinidad said the military will continue to document and expose such actions that put unnecessary risk to Philippine personnel and assets. (Also read: Chinese vessels block Philippine humanitarian mission in disputed shoal)
He said the plane’s crew members “remained professional and exercised due caution in accordance with established aviation procedures.”
The military aircraft returned safely to its base without any untoward incident, completing its surveillance and reconnaissance mission. (Also read: Chinese vessel conducts one month research in Bajo de Masinloc)
In another part of the South China Sea, two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels harassed Filipino troops, driving away a Chinese fishing vessel and small boats near a Philippine-occupied feature, a Coast Guard spokesman said.
Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela said a Chinese Navy helicopter also hovered over Filipino troops as the Coast Guard vessels circled Sandy Cays 2 and 3, near Pag-asa Island within the Philippines’ 12-mile territorial waters.
Tarriela said the troops were driving away a Chinese fishing vessel close to Pag-asa Island and the sandbars nearby.
Pag-asa Island, about 280 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Princesa City, is the largest of the nine features the Philippines occupies in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
Tarriela said Filipino soldiers boarded a Coast Guard high-sea response boat (HSRB-019) and three other military and police boats to drive away a Chinese fishing boat and several smaller boats near Sandy Cay.
He said the Chinese fishermen were using dynamite, destroying corals, fish stocks, and the South China Sea’s ecosystem.
“It is prohibited under the Philippine Fisheries Code,” he said. This was a routine law enforcement operation against an illegal and destructive practice.”
Tarriela said Chinese maritime law enforcement vessels suddenly appeared and challenged the Filipinos’ presence in a disputed shoal.
“They sounded their horns and radio-challenged the Philippine team inside Philippine territorial waters,” Tarriela said, referring to the Chinese vessels.
The Philippines stopped chasing the Chinese fishing boat and returned to Pag-asa Island, worried about a potential collision with the Chinese Coast Guard.