Philippines National Maritime Council Formally Condemns Escalating PLA/CCG Aggression in West Philippine Sea

The Philippines' National Maritime Council (NMC) issued a formal statement on April 3, 2026, condemning a pattern of aggressive and dangerous actions by Chinese maritime forces — including PLA Navy and China Coast Guard units — against Philippine vessels, aircraft, and civilian fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. The statement itemized March 2026 incidents: March 7, a PLAN vessel directed fire-control radar at BRP Miguel Malvar near Escoda Shoal; March 20, a Philippine Coast Guard aircraft was confronted with flares near Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) during a lawful maritime patrol; March 20, a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel suffered a dangerous maneuver by a CCG vessel at Paredes Reef; March 26, a Philippine Navy vessel narrowly avoided collision with a PLAN vessel executing an unsafe maneuver near Pag-asa Island. The NMC statement was interpreted as a coordinated government-level escalation of the Philippines' transparency offensive, consolidating multiple incidents into a single authoritative condemnation ahead of Balikatan 2026 preparations. China's MFA did not issue an immediate response to the statement.