MANILA, Philippine — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday reported a decrease in the presence of Chinese maritime forces in the West Philippines Sea (WPS) due to the bad weather.
In a press briefing, the AFP said that as of Sept. 22, 2025, it has recorded nine Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), one People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship and two CCG ships in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The Philippine Navy (PN) has also conducted seven patrol missions in Bajo de Masinloc and one in the northern islands.
“For the past one week it has been constant but if we compare this with the average of our monthly monitoring, the presence in Bajo de Masinloc and Ayungin Shoal has decreased. And then again, this is on account of the weather, Typhoon Nando and the one previous to Nando,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the WPS, said.
Over the past week, Tropical Depression Mirasol and Super Typhoon Nando ravaged Northern Luzon, causing massive flooding and landslides, displacing thousands and affecting the disputed territories.
