As a condition of embedding on the mission, USNI News has agreed to identify crew members with nicknames related to their home provinces.
ABOARD BRP MALAPASCUA, SAILING IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA – It was a lazy afternoon on the bridge of the Philippine Coast Guard patrol boat. The crew snacked on crackers and listened to music from an officer’s phone, all the while scanning the horizon and checking their Furuno radar for any new contacts that could join the two China Coast Guard cutters stalking their three-ship formation.
The destination was Thitu, Manila’s largest possession in the Spratly Islands and home to a fishing community. Filipinos know it by the name of Pag-Asa, the Island of Hope. This was the third mission for the civilian group West Philippine Sea Atin Ito with the Coast Guard to the disputed features of the South China Sea. Atin Ito, Tagalog for “it is ours” brings goods and support for Philippine fisherfolk and deployed troops amid increased harassment from Chinese forces within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Over the next week, Malapascua took the lead of an escort mission for a civilian-led concert and ferried supplies and personnel to several Coast Guard outposts in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The 295-ton, 44-meter-long vessel would be pushed to its limits, all under the constant threat of coercive Chinese harassment or worse.
The Coast Guard patrol boat’s journey through the contested waters showed the challenges the agency faces against the dozens of Chinese cutters, militia vessels and warships prowling the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone at any moment.
As one of only 13 ships capable of blue water operations in the Philippine Coast Guard fleet, every sortie into the contested waters had to count. Despite the circumstances and adversarial overmatch, the crew of Malapascua made do with the limited resources they had.
Malapascua’s officer on watch, propped up on a wooden stool sandwiched in front of the helm and propulsion control, maintained his afternoon vigil. Malapascua was taking part in a unique mission for this part of the world: the escorting of a peace and solidarity concert to the Spratly Islands. Trailing a few hundred yards to the 295-ton vessel’s rear was M/V Kaptain Felix Oca, a maritime training ship carrying the West Philippine Sea Atin Ito coalition, and the far larger BRP Melchora Aquino (MRRV-9702).
China Coast Guard cutters 3306 and 21549 took up positions a few nautical miles astern of the Philippine formation. The five vessels steamed at a steady nine knots north of Reed Bank towards the Spratly Islands.
Fearful was how many of the officers and enlisted men aboard the patrol boat felt during their first encounters with Chinese forces. Starting in 2023, the Philippine Coast Guard had to contend with almost monthly water cannon blasts, rammings and laser attacks from their Chinese counterparts. But after their frequent run-ins, radio challenges and close encounters with the Chinese, this Tuesday on the world’s most contested waters was business as usual.
Another officer stepped onto the bridge to take the conn, relieving the prior of his shift for the day. He checked the radar panel, saw the Chinese contacts and smirked. “China is our friend, they escort us,” he said jokingly as he took his seat.
El Nido
On Monday morning, Malapascua departed from a remote port near the resort municipality of El Nido, a popular Northern Palawan destination for tourists looking for pristine beaches and diving spots. The patrol boat doesn’t usually stage from this port, opting for other berths in the westernmost province. A mess officer complained about the high price of tomatoes and other provisions at El Nido, blaming it on the tourists.
But the patrol boat had to be near the pricey tourist town for the escort mission. Atin Ito organizers were due to arrive in the area from their initial voyage from Manila later in the day to embark media and hold a pre-sail concert. The mission, at least as initially described, was simple: escort Kaptain Felix Oca alongside Melchora Aquino and then resupply several Coast Guard outposts scattered across the nine features of the Kalayaan Island Group. But as one of the few vessels in Coast Guard District Palawan, every sortie had to count. Malapascua was tasked with an additional mission: personnel transfer.
Malapascua rendezvoused with Melchora Aquino in the nearby bay to transfer the supplies. Propane tanks, water jugs, egg cartons, canned goods, luggage cases and other materials were hand-loaded and secured on deck. Shortly afterward, 24 personnel boarded. When asked where these men would sleep, as the Parola-class multi-role response vessels were only designed to accommodate a complement of 25, a common answer was “anywhere.” For the next week, most slept outside on hammocks or the steel deck before arriving at their respective outposts.
Lt. j.g. “Bicol” sometimes lent his cabin to families that Malapascua ferried between Thitu Island and Palawan, especially if they had children. The small fishing community depends on vessels from the Coast Guard or Navy for travel between the Spratlys and the Philippine archipelago. The 44-meter-long vessel already felt crowded during this voyage. Bicol claimed that the most passengers they’ve ferried on the patrol boat was 50.
The “anywhere” answer also applied to some of the crew, including apprentice seaman “Leyte.” During the first night underway, he found a spot to sleep outside next to the Israeli-made remote-controlled weapons system. For the rest of the week, the booths in the enlisted mess had to do.
Lt. Cmdr. “Benguet,” the ship’s commanding officer, described his vessel as a workhorse throughout the voyage. Malapascua is one of ten Parola-class patrol vessels in service that sees constant action in the South China Sea and throughout the numerous Coast Guard districts of the country since its commissioning in 2017. These Japanese-loaned and built patrol boats form the frontline of the agency’s efforts in the contested waters, and are usually on the receiving end of a dangerous maneuver, water cannon blast or ramming from their far larger Chinese counterparts.
A laser attack temporarily blinded some of Malapascua’s bridge crew in spring 2023, marking one of the first incidents in a series of near-monthly spats that lasted until the summer of 2024. While neither Benguet nor any of the embarked crew were onboard during the laser attack, he witnessed a Chinese sideswipe on his old ship last spring.
BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) received minor damage during a resupply mission to the Philippine outpost of BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) while escorting Philippine Navy vessels last year. However, this was not his first run-in with a violent incident at sea. A pirate attack on his cargo vessel during a transit through the Strait of Malacca in the 2010s inspired Benguet, who was then a civilian merchant mariner, to join the Philippine Coast Guard.
Benguet was cautious the night before the mission. A week prior, Chinese cutters collided with and water cannoned a fisheries vessel operating within the territorial waters of Pag-Asa Island, the same destination for the Atin Ito mission. Malapascua’s crew, as well as the other few vessels of Coast Guard District Palawan, regularly face coercive threats from the large number of China Coast Guard, People’s Liberation Army Navy, and Maritime Militia operating in the area.
Atin Ito’s track record until this point was mixed. Their previous two missions only achieved partially successful results. In a 2023 sail to the Spratlys, the captain of Kaptain Felix Oca turned back, despite the Philippine Coast Guard leadership encouraging him to proceed, after a People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer trailed his vessel. Yet, some civilian vessels of the flotilla still managed to reach their objective and provide supplies to Philippine troops in the area.
Another Atin Ito mission to Scarborough Shoal last year was cut short to avoid an incident with loitering maritime militia vessels, although some elements of that mission breached the Chinese blockade and entered the disputed maritime feature.
According to Benguet, Malapascua mostly operated alone for day-to-day operations outside of the occasional support for high-profile missions such as Atin Ito’s peace and solidarity concert. He also highlighted the U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying in the area, citing their presence as a reminder to the Chinese that someone was watching overhead. Sometimes, the U.S. Navy conducted low-level flights to make sure that both the Filipinos and the Chinese saw the Poseidons
Aside from upholding Manila’s claims in the South China Sea, Malapascua was also frequently called upon for search and rescue operations within Coast Guard District Palawan. Bicol said there were many occasions when the vessel had to turn back for open water to render assistance for mariners.
The Coast Guard escorts had a day of reprieve before the voyage, as Atin Ito’s pre-sail concert took most of the night. Artists embarked on Kaptain Felix Oca came from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. While Pinoy Pop and rap music blasted from the aft deck of Kaptain Felix Oca, and party lights occasionally pierced the sky from El Nido, the sailors and passengers on Malapascua made their final calls with loved ones and friends before the mission. An enlisted man watched an episode of the Japanese anime Attack on Titan on the bridge, which most of the crew regarded as the coldest part of the boat due to the 24/7 air conditioning.
The ‘White Rabbits’ Arrive
Malapascua officially set sail for the mission at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning and left the territorial waters a few hours after that. The 44-meter-long patrol boat took point, with Melchora Aquino and Kaptain Felix Oca in tow. Benguet thought his vessel was assigned to lead the formation because of its small size and maneuverability compared to the larger 97-meter-long Melchora Aquino, a factor that could prove crucial if any Chinese vessels attempted to interdict the mission.
By 7 a.m., a contact appeared on the Furuno radar just as the patrol boat sailed by the mostly defunct Malampaya Gas and Oil Field. Lookouts quickly identified it as a Vietnamese fishing vessel, which Benguet said are common in the area.
Benguet viewed the Vietnamese positively due to the lack of incidents and friendly exchanges. Philippine and Vietnamese forces hold sports tournaments between their island garrisons in the Spratlys and have traded provisions for fresh catches of fish. Vietnam was also one of the port stops for a regional Philippine Coast Guard engagement earlier in the year.
Vietnamese fishermen also saved the lives of 22 Filipinos after a Chinese vessel rammed and sank their vessel at Reed Bank in 2019. “We are eternally in debt to our strategic partner, Vietnam, for this act of mercy and decency,” then-Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. stated following the rescue.
The formation passed by the fishing vessel without incident. But by 9 a.m., two new contacts appeared. These vessels did not carry the same positive reputation as the formation’s last visitor.
The crew members on the bridge jumped into action once they verified the contacts as China Coast Guard cutters. Their pennants were marked on the radar, 3306 on the starboard side and 21549 to port. The combined displacement of the Zhaokai and Hulai II-class cutters outweighed their Philippine Teresa Magbanua and Parola-class counterparts by over a thousand tons.
Several members of the crew referred to the Chinese as the “White Rabbit.” None of the officers could explain where this nickname came from, but White Rabbit is the name of a popular Chinese milk candy.
Benguet was summoned from his quarters and came up to the bridge to oversee operations. The officer on watch asked for the cutters’ positions every ten to twenty minutes. The radar operator closely monitored their movements, particularly course changes.
Pre-arranged scripts were organized on a clipboard, lines for use in case their Chinese counterparts decided to close range to cut off or ram vessels in the formation. According to the bridge crew, Chinese forces start their challenges in Mandarin before switching to English. Once the Filipinos responded to their message, it took a while to receive the Chinese forces’ counter-message. Some officers speculated that this was due to their poor understanding of English. Melchora Aquino responded to all challenges sent by the Chinese throughout the mission.
To further hide their radio communications with other Coast Guard or Navy units, sailors switch between their home languages. There are 130 to 195 languages within the Philippine archipelago. As the bridge crew settled in for the long haul, they grew more relaxed in the following hours. Back and shoulder massages were frequently given to those performing the most strenuous roles. The formation adjusted slightly, with Malapascua and Melchora Aquino taking up positions to Kaptain Felix Oca’s portside. By now, the 295-ton patrol boat was feeling the waters of the open ocean. Benguet began to check the weather patterns ahead more frequently on his iPad.
A Message Home
Once the White Rabbits showed up, one of the officers called for Malapascua’s attached surveillance team to come up to the bridge to assess the situation. These men were equipped with cameras and, most importantly, a direct line of communication with higher Coast Guard leadership via a Starlink terminal. They stepped out onto the bridge wings to take photos of the Chinese vessels and take note of contacts on the radar, reporting to a higher entity in the command structure through a phone app.
The SpaceX satellite internet constellation has been one of the most transformative developments for the Coast Guard’s operational posture in the disputed waters. Starlink’s low-latency, high-bandwidth capability permits vessels like Malapascua to remain in constant, uninterrupted contact with shore-based command and control. The system has received praise for its reliability in Ukraine amid Russian jamming efforts. Philippine Navy sailors and Marines, including those at Second Thomas Shoal aboard Sierra Madre, have also made use of Starlink.
This capability has helped the agency pursue its transparency initiative, which publicizes incidents with China in real-time on social media to raise awareness among domestic Philippine and international audiences of the situation in the South China Sea.
Enlisted personnel and officers alike lauded Starlink for the newfound ability to reliably contact their families during deployment. Before Starlink’s introduction across the agency’s fleet, Bicol said that some relationships between sailors and their partners were strained due to communication issues. Benguet also described it as a significant “morale booster” for his crew. But outside of a few officers and the surveillance team, sailors are only allowed to use Starlink near Philippine territory and in port due to operational security concerns.
“Thank you, Elon Musk,” quipped one officer on Melchora Aquino when asked about Starlink as the patrol vessel pulled into Puerto Princesa following the mission. The local SpaceX subsidiary, as well as private groups, have donated an unspecified number of Starlink terminals to the Philippine Coast Guard in recent years.
The Night Before
By 7:20 p.m., the formation was roughly 200 nautical miles from El Nido and closing in on Thitu Island from the northwest. The next 16 hours were the most crucial for the mission, as this was the window during which Chinese harassment or attacks were most likely. China’s military base at Subi Reef, located only 26 kilometers south of Thitu, could rapidly sortie vessels to intercept any Philippine ships sailing into the area.
As the overcast shifted into the darkness of night, the bridge crew dragged over a grey sofa chair to the left of the propulsion control console. During the day, officers used the chair for short naps. But during these most crucial hours, the chair was reserved for Benguet. The commanding officer refused to sleep in his cabin for this leg, noting that he had to be ready to respond at a moment’s notice.
Leyte strained his eyes, attempting to keep watch of the dark waters. The only sources of light on the bridge glowed from the digital navigational chart and the Furuno radar screen. China Coast Guard cutters 3306 and 51459 maintained their course on the flanks of the formation.
Bicol, the officer on watch at the time, snacked on crackers while huddled under a blanket. Night brought with it the cold, which was only amplified by the full-blast air conditioning vent located directly over his seat.
Benguet, slouched over in the chair, examined more radio challenges and documents on the clipboard. Another sailor shone his phone flashlight over him, adding another source of light on the otherwise dim bridge. Benguet only got three hours of sleep that night.
One Mission Accomplished, One More to Go
Malapascua and the Atin Ito formation were only 21 nautical miles west of their destination by Wednesday morning. If Chinese forces wanted to stop the peace and solidarity concert, it would happen near this area. Yet, 3306 broke off overnight and only one Chinese cutter stalked the formation. Other than an automatic identification system jamming attempt around 12:00 p.m., which forced the radar operator to reacquire Philippine and Chinese ships, it was smooth sailing in what were otherwise rough waves. The crew identified several new contacts as Philippine and Vietnamese fishing vessels.
Coming in at only 295 tons, the tiny patrol boat rolled with the 1.3-meter waves. Seasickness eventually settled in for many, including Bicol. Benguet explained that larger vessels, such as Melchora Aquino, were better suited to these open waters compared to his 44-meter craft.
By early afternoon, a peculiar text message appeared. “Welcome to Vietnam! Your plan includes data that…” read an automatic message upon passing the Vietnamese outposts on South Reef and Southwest Cay. Regional claimants in the Spratlys, such as Vietnam and China, have constructed cell towers to solidify their holdings in the hotly contested waters.
As the formation closed on Thitu, Kaptain Felix Oca began to overtake Malapascua to get into position for the peace and solidarity concert. A mix of 10-12 small boats, mostly consisting of rigid-hulled inflatable boats and traditional Philippine banca fishing vessels, began to trail the training ship. Atin Ito organizers distributed fuel and other essentials to the fishermen, who braved the waves and wind.
Thitu Island has been the focus of Manila’s efforts in the disputed area, receiving air field and port upgrades to strengthen the numerous military outposts and a small civilian community. A ring of Beijing’s ships is often operating west of the island in the direction of the Chinese military base at Subi Reef. If they were nearby that day, the stormy weather obscured any view of the Chinese ships.
Just before 3:00 p.m., Kaptain Felix Oca raised the bridge crew on the radio. The mission was completed, and the Atin Ito coalition turned northwards to take the same path back to Manila. Due to the stormy conditions, the peace and solidarity concert took place inside the ship. Malapascua’s escort duties were officially over. It was now time to resupply and drop off its passengers at the Coast Guard outposts of the Kalayaan Island Group.
Or at least that was the plan. The Parola-class patrol boat continued to maintain a distance from Kaptain Felix Oca well into the night. Melchora Aquino, which was supposed to take over the escort for the remainder of the voyage, had to disembark its supplies and embark personnel at Thitu Island. This took longer than anticipated.
“When is your flight?” Benguet asked as the lights of Melchora Aquino came into view at 7:30 p.m. The two vessels stopped within a kilometer of each other to permit USNI News’ transfer via RHIB. The China Coast Guard loitered astern of the two vessels and kept up the pursuit of Kaptain Felix Oca until it reached Philippine territorial waters in the following days.
For Benguet, Bicol and Leyte, the easy part of their voyage was done. While the likelihood of an incident with the Chinese was far lower for the rest of the mission, according to the personnel on Malapascua, rough seas were ahead for the patrol boat. “Prepare to get wet,” remarked an officer before the transfer.
“It’s more fun in the West Philippine Sea,” one of the members of the RHIB crew shouted with excitement just before a wave soaked everyone in the darkness.
