PH holds maritime operation at Sandy Cay to dispel Chinese claim

The national government completed an inter-agency maritime operation at Pag-asa Cay 1, Cay 2, Cay 3, and its surrounding waters on Sunday, April 27, to debunk the People's Republic of China's (PRC) declaration of sovereign jurisdiction over Sandy Cay in the South China Sea.

- By MARTIN SADONGDONG and ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

The maritime operation was jointly conducted by the Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG), according to the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).

The operation, which lasted for three hours and ended at 7:13 a.m., sought to reinforce the authorities' routine and lawful exercise of maritime domain awareness and jurisdiction over the WPS, and to verify the claims of Chinese media outlets that the China Coast Guard (CCG) has occupied Sandy Cay, the task force stressed.

Accordingly, four composite teams aboard rubber boats were deployed to the cays, which are disputed low banks or reefs of coral, rock, and sand located in the Spratly Islands near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the WPS.