BRP Diego Silang Confronts PLA Navy Frigate Inside Philippine EEZ — Four Radio Challenges Issued

[00:00:00]There is a stretch of water off the coast of Zambales, roughly 30 nautical miles from the shoreline, where not long ago two warships came face-to-face. One Philippine, one Chinese. And what happened next was not a clash of weapons, but a clash of claims delivered through a radio transmission that cut straight to the heart of one of Asia's most consequential disputes. The BRP Diego Silang, a guided missile frigate of the Philippine Navy, was on routine patrol inside the country's exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea when radar operators picked up a contact. A People's Liberation Army Navy frigate, bow number 555, was operating well within waters [music] where the Philippines holds sovereign rights under international law. What followed was precise, deliberate, and unmistakable. Philippine Navy personnel aboard the Diego Silang opened radio contact and issued a formal challenge, not once, but four times. The message was the same each time. A sailor transmitted, "This I Philippine Navy warship seven, in accordance with international and Philippine national laws, you are within Philippine exclusive economic zone over which Philippines has sovereignty. Your actions are illegal and will be reported and will prejudice our country's relations."