Did Chinese Successfully Penetrate A Philippines Coast Guard Unit?

The Chinese may have successfully penetrated a Philippines Coast Guard unit.

According to reports, some 36 Chinese nationals were found enlisted in the Philippines Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA), a unit of the Philippines Coast Guard.

The PCGA is often said to be a unit involved in re-supply missions to a military outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal of the South China Sea (SCS), while avoiding Chinese militia and patrol vessels.

The military outpost is a Second World War-era transport ship — the Sierra Madre — that was deliberately grounded in 1999 on the Second Thomas Shoal.

Since then, the Philippines has permanently stationed a group of marines on the ship.

The grounded ship allows the Philippines to assert its claims over the Second Thomas Shoal. The Chinese claim the entire SCS as their own, along with the Spratly Islands, of which the Second Thomas Shoal is a part.

Since these 36 Chinese nationals were found enlisted in the PCGA, concerns are being raised by various lawmakers about its national security implications. Some congressmen are demanding strict action against the individuals under whose command these lapses took place.

The Commandant of the Philippines Coast Guard, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, told last month that these individuals are now discharged. He said, “We did conduct an investigation. We went through intelligence and national security agencies of the government, and we have delisted 36 of them. We did check on their compliance with the standards set for them, and we found out that they did not comply, so we initiated their delisting. They are now delisted.”

The 36 Chinese nationals were in the PCGA for around two to three years.

The PCGA is a voluntary organisation committed to serving alongside the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), dedicated to several missions that contribute to maritime safety and environmental preservation.

These include assisting the PCG in ensuring the safety of life and property at sea, safeguarding the marine environment and its resources, conducting maritime search and rescue operations, and maintaining aids to navigation.