INTERNATIONAL: The Philippine Coast Guard ,PCG, on Sunday ,March 27, has reported a recent incident of "close distance maneuvering" by a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the disputed South China Sea that "constrained" the movement of a Philippine ship sailing nearby.

The March 27 incident took place during the PCG's maritime patrol operations around the Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc. The incident has involved a Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 3305 that has conducted close distance maneuvering over an area of approximately 21 yards or 19.2 meters in the direction of Philippine vessel BRP Malabrigo, the PCG has said.

The Philippine Coast Guard had asked the country's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to help address the issue through "rules-based and peaceful approaches," according to the PCG commandant, Admiral Artemio Abu. It was yet unclear whether the Philippines had lodged a diplomatic protest for the incident. The PCG has said it had to wait for the go-signal from the country's National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea before making the incident public.

China lays claim to most of the waters within a so-called Nine Dash Line in the South China Sea, which is also contested by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Abu has said it was the fourth reported incident of close distance maneuvering involving CCG and Philippine vessels in the Scarborough Shoal since May last year. Despite the risks, Abu has said the deployment of Philippine assets and personnel to waters within the country's exclusive economic zones would continue.