4 Philippines crew hurt, vessels damaged by China ships

MANILA, Philippines — Within hours of each other, two incidents of “blocking maneuver” and water cannon attack by China Coast Guard (CCG) and militia vessels erupted yesterday in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal, leaving four Filipinos injured and two Philippine vessels slightly damaged.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for West Philippine Sea affairs Commodore Jay Tarriela said the BRP Sindangan was supporting a resupply mission for troops on the BRP Sierra Madre at 6:30 a.m. yesterday when a CCG ship with bow number 21555 tried to block it, resulting in a slight collision.

In a post on X, Tarriela said the collision was caused by the “reckless and illegal action” of the CCG vessel.

Two hours later at 8:15 a.m., the same Chinese coast guard ship and another with bow number 21551 blasted Philippine resupply boat Unaizah May 4 with water cannons.

In a statement, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said CCG and militia vessels “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons and executed dangerous maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine RORE (rotation and resupply) mission to BRP Sierra Madre (LS 57) at Ayungin Shoal.”

China blames Philippines

In Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry said the Filipino vessels were to blame for the incidents.

“There is no such situation of China harassing the Philippines,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

“The reason behind the recent maritime developments is that the Philippines has frequently made provocative moves in the South China Sea, infringing on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” she said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), meanwhile, summoned Chinese embassy deputy chief of mission Zhou Zhiyong to relay Manila’s protest.

With the Sindangan during the resupply mission was BRP Cabra. They were deployed on orders of PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan to provide support to the RORE operation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Tarriela said.

“Throughout the operation, the PCG vessels faced dangerous maneuvers and blocking from Chinese Coast Guard vessels and Chinese maritime militia,” said Tarriela.

“Their reckless and illegal actions led to a collision between MRRV-4407 (BRP Sindangan) and China Coast Guard 21555 that resulted in minor structural damage to the PCG vessel,” he added.

The NTF-WPS said the “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers” of the Chinese vessels led to one of them slightly hitting the Unaizah May 4, shattering its windshield.

Those hurt in the water cannon attack were treated for their injuries on the Sindangan. The names of the injured and the extent of their injuries were unavailable. The Unaizah May 4 sailed back to mainland Palawan escorted by the Sindangan, while the Unaizah May 1 managed to reach the Sierra Madre at 10:54 a.m. to unload its cargo of food and other provisions.

“Once again, China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, have put the lives of our people at risk and caused actual injury to Filipinos on board UM4,” the NTF-WPS said.

“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue and lessening of tensions,” its statement read.

‘Clear and present challenge’

The NTF-WPS said the Philippines “continues to act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS and the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award. Peace and stability cannot be achieved without due regard for the legitimate, well-established and legally settled rights of others.”

It said the Philippines “will not be deterred” from exercising its legal rights over its maritime zones, including Ayungin Shoal, which forms part of the country’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

“We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community,” the NTF-WPS said.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said two Philippine Navy ships provided support to the RORE mission.

Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said the two unnamed vessels were in the area but were stationed 10 nautical miles from Ayungin Shoal.

When the RORE was being carried out, there were four CCG vessels and 11 fishing or militia vessels monitored in the vicinity of the Ayuning Shoal, Trinidad said.

He said the latest incident was “a clear and present challenge to the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea.”

“The situation is not normal, is not anymore normal but we are up to the challenge,” he pointed out.

He said China’s sinister plan first unfolded in 1992 when it began putting markers on shoals, shallow waters, reefs and other features within Philippine waters.

“In 1994 they prevented access to Mischief Reef. In 1990, late 90s they started erecting fishermen’s structures in Mischief Reef. In 2011 they started reclamation, then they militarized the area, they declared an ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone) so it is not anymore normal,” he said.

“It is now the new paradigm or the new environment that the Philippine Navy and the Western Command and Naval Forces West operate in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

Trinidad said 43 CCG and militia vessels were monitored in the West Philippine Sea, including four CCG vessels around Bajo de Masinloc along with 17 fishing vessels; two CCG ships and four fishing vessels in Ayungin Shoal and one CCG ship and 15 fishing vessels near Pagasa Island.

He said the Philippine Navy and the AFP “will continue ensuring the integrity of our national territory and abide by the order, the statement of the commander-in-chief that we will not give up even a square inch of Philippine territory.”

Protest

Senators Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito and Grace Poe called on China to stop its aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“I call on China to respect international maritime laws, adhere to established norms and cease bullying tactics. Such provocative actions are unacceptable,” Estrada, chairman of the Senate’s national defense and security, peace, unification and reconciliation committee said.

“We call on the international community to closely monitor regional developments and support efforts to maintain a rules-based order,” he added.

Ejercito said he was “outraged by China’s recent blatant aggression in the West Philippine Sea,” as he commended the PCG for standing up to the Chinese.

“Chinese vessels’ recent reckless maneuvers and blocking tactics at Ayungin Shoal are clear signs of desperate attempt to unlawfully seize Philippine territory. Hence, China’s delusion that the West Philippine Sea belongs to them must be put to an end,” Ejercito said.

Poe said China has no right to block humanitarian missions to the grounded warship.

“I call on China to respect international maritime laws, adhere to established norms and cease bullying tactics. Such provocative actions are unacceptable,” she said.

In his meeting with Zhou, DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Raphael Hermoso emphasized that China’s interference in the Philippines’ activities in the WPS is unacceptable.

“China’s actions in Ayungin Shoal infringes upon the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the DFA said in a statement.

“The Philippines demands that Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately,” it added.

“International law affirms that the Philippines exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the feature.”

International condemnation

The United States, the European Union, Great Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia condemned China’s latest hostile actions in the West Philippine Sea.

“We strongly condemn the PRC’s dangerous maneuvers at Ayungin/Second Thomas Shoal, which endangered the lives, resulted in injuries and damaged CoastGuardPH vessels in the Philippine EEZ,” US ambassador MaryKay Carlson said in a post on X.

“The US stands with the Philippines and proponents of international law in support of a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific,” she said.

EU Ambassador Luc Veron said he was “troubled by today’s pattern of dangerous maneuvers and blocking from Chinese Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia targeting Philippine vessels engaged in crucial resupply mission.”

“The EU reiterates the call for all parties to abide by the legally binding 2016 Arbitration Award and #internationallaw to peacefully resolve disputes, guaranteeing safety in maritime waters,” Veron wrote on X.

The United Kingdom condemned the Chinese for their “unsafe” actions in Philippine waters.

“The UK condemns today’s unsafe actions by Chinese vessels against the Philippines in Second Thomas Shoal, which resulted in Philippine injuries,” British Ambassador Laure Beaufils said on X.

“UK reiterates its opposition to any action which raises tensions & endangers lives, threatening regional peace & stability. We call for adherence to UNCLOS,” she said.

In a statement, the Japanese embassy expressed “grave concern on the repeated dangerous actions” of the CCG in the South China Sea.

“Japan will continue to stand with the Philippines and cooperate with like-minded countries to maintain peace and stability in the region,” the embassy said.

Australia, through its embassy, also condemned China’s latest provocative acts.

“Discussing peace and stability at the #ASEAN50Aus Summit. Australia shares Philippines’ concerns about dangerous actions by China’s vessels at Second Thomas Shoal today,” Ambassador HK Yu said on X.

“We call for restraint and respect for international law, particularly UNCLOS,” she said.

German ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke said “Germany is concerned by today’s incidents involving dangerous maneuvers against Philippine Coast Guard vessels in a resupply mission within Philippine EEZ.” — Pia Lee Brago, Marc Jayson Cayabyab