The Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) on Monday sanctioned the Chinese dredgers engaged in irregular activities in the Manila Bay and rivers in Zambales.
Marina NCR regional director Marc Anthony Pascua told reporters in a text message that show-cause orders have already been issued and that “they [Chinese vessels] were accordingly penalized.”
Pascua, however, said the Chinese vessels have already settled their penalties.
“The MARINA would also like to reiterate that our decisions are without prejudice for them to re-file or operate again, provided they settle their penalties, and that they have valid permits to operate,” he said.
The National Coast Watch Center (NCWC) — an inter-agency maritime surveillance and coordination entity, earlier asked Marina to investigate several foreign vessels allegedly engaged in “suspicious activities” and were observed to be operating outside their approved areas of operation versus the issued special maritime authority.
The NCWC, which is led by the Philippine Coast Guard, earlier reported that the Chinese vessels were operating without a dredging clearance from the Department of Public Works and Highways and do not possess environmental compliance certificates from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
NCWC also said the Chinese dredgers neither had a memorandum of agreement with the DENR and nor accreditation from the MGB.
“The NCWC also asserted the Chinese dredgers allegedly failed to secure a ‘No Objection Clearance’ from the Office of the National Security Adviser,” MARINA said.
The NCWC likewise said the Chinese dredgers had been operating without the mandatory automatic Identification system which allows the authorities to properly monitor and record their exact movements inside Philippine territorial waters, and that they turned off their AIS during operation and while berthed.
Malacanang endorsed the NCWC Special Report through Deputy Executive Secretary for general administration Naealla Bainto Aguinaldo on Nov. 29, 2022 for appropriate MARINA action.
THE NCWC i is the operating arm of the National Coast Watch System which is in turn run by the National Coast Watch Council and the brain and nerve center providing strategic direction and the promulgation of policy guidelines. It is chaired by the Executive Secretary with the secretaries of the Department of Transportation, the DENR, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Finance and the Department of Interior and Local Government as members.
