PCG drives away foreign fishing vessel near Lawak Island

MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Friday that it expelled a foreign fishing vessel near Lawak Island, Kalayaan Island Group. 

PCG personnel on Lawak Island spotted the fishing vessel floating some two nautical miles northeast of the island, well within the Philippines 12-nautical-mile territorial sea on Friday noon. 

“In the early afternoon, the PCG deployed a rubber boat to conduct maritime patrol and law enforcement operations and to direct the vessel to vacate the area,” the PCG reported.

“Upon reaching the vessel, the PCG team conducted multiple radio challenges and, through public address microphones, issued repeated verbal warnings and instructions directing it to leave the territorial sea of Lawak Island. The vessel subsequently started its engine and proceeded northward, away from the island.”

It was the sixth operation conducted by the PCG in less than four weeks to drive away foreign vessels from the Kalayaan Island Group.

The first was that involving Chinese Maritime Militia Vessel (CMMV) 9622 and its sampans from Kota Island on 28 September and October 9; followed by the five foreign fishing vessels from Kota Island on October 11; Chinese fishing vessel Yuetaiyu 63168 and its four small boats from Lawak Island on October 15 2026; and a foreign fishing vessel from Kota Island on October 18.

Lawak Island is an integral part of the Municipality of Kalayaan, Province of Palawan. 

The PCG said that under international law, the Philippines exercises full sovereignty over its territorial sea, where no foreign vessel may fish without authorization. 

“Such activities likewise constitute violations of Philippine laws, including the Philippine Fisheries Code and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act,” it said.