China vessels collide while harassing PCG boat in Panatag

MANILA, Philippines — While trying to chase away a Philippine Coast Guard vessel, a China Coast Guard (CGG) ship collided with another Chinese vessel – a warship – in the vicinity of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal yesterday morning.

In a post on X, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea issues Commodore Jay Tarriela said the collision between CCG vessel with bow number 3104 and a People’s Liberation Army-Navy ship with bow number 154 took place approximately 10.5 nautical miles east of Bajo de Masinloc, the other local name of Panatag Shoal.

Tarriela said the CCG vessel was pursuing PCG’s 44-meter ship BRP Suluan “at high speed” when it crashed into the Chinese warship while performing a “risky maneuver from the PCG vessel’s starboard quarter.”

The collision with the warship “resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” Tarriela said.

He added that the Suluan offered to help in the rescue of Chinese sailors who may have been thrown overboard, but its message was ignored.

“We offered to search and rescue the men overboard the CCG vessel but they did not respond,” he said.

Tarriela said “good seamanship” by the Suluan skipper and his men enabled the PCG vessel to steer away from the CCG ship’s dangerous maneuver.

He said the collision appeared to have “flattened” the CCG vessel’s bow, but also caused “very significant dent and scratches” on the PLA-Navy ship.

Tarriela stressed that the PCG “reaffirms its dedication to safeguarding all maritime operations in the area and wishes for the swift recovery and proper treatment of any affected CCG personnel.”

The incident, he added, should help convince Chinese maritime authorities that such “dangerous maneuvers can lead to maritime incidents or sea mishaps” as they were clearly in violation of international regulations.

When asked about the possibility that China might blame the Philippines for the collision, Tarriela said the PCG has a video recording of the incident.

“Despite them being very good in distorting the narrative, I can’t see any reason for them to say that it was our fault,” he said.

Before it collided with the PLA ship, CCG 3104 had also tried to blast Suluan with its water cannon, but the Filipino vessel managed to evade it, according to Tarriela.

He said the PCG’s 97-meter ship BRP Teresa Magbanua was able to assist M/V Pamamalakaya in carrying out the “Kadiwa Para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM)” initiative,” he added.

The Magbanua brought 35 Filipino fishing vessels around Panatag to “a secure location,” where the distribution of fuel and food supply was held, he said.

Vessels to stay

Reacting to the latest incident of Chinese aggression, President Marcos made it clear Philippine vessels will not leave Panatag.

“What will happen here is we will continue to be present. We will continue to defend our territory. We will continue to exercise our sovereign rights. And despite any opposition from anyone, we will continue to do as we have done in the past three years,” Marcos said at a press conference at Malacañang.

“We have never instructed our vessels to back out. We do not back out because we were scared. In this government, we are not backing down from the fight,” the President said. “We don’t have special instructions. We’re used to it.”

The incident came as China filed a protest against the Philippines over Marcos’ statement on Taiwan.

“I think because of the narrative coming out about ‘playing with fire’ and being provocative and all of that, that’s why (China’s) activities increase in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said.

‘Atrocious, inane’

The Department of National Defense condemned China’s “atrocious and inane” conduct in Panatag, and declared that the DND “stands in solidarity” with the PCG.

“We do not want war or seek confrontation but we must do what we need to do in order to protect our sovereignty and sovereign rights, calls of any sector to the contrary notwithstanding,” Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said.

“This is not aggression but simply the sacred duty of all Filipinos. We do not control what external actors may think or may do but we must deter them from making choices that violate Philippine interests,” Teodoro said.

As the Philippines condemns the latest Chinese show of aggression around Panatag Shoal, the Northern Luzon Naval Command (NLNC) confirmed yesterday the unauthorized presence of several PLA and CCG vessels in the vicinity off Batanes last Thursday and Friday.

“The vessels were detected during ongoing sovereignty and maritime patrol operations conducted by BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Emilio Jacinto, both patrol vessels assigned to Naval Task Force 11 of NLNC,” the NLNC said in a statement.

“Upon detection, the Philippine Navy warships promptly initiated radio challenge protocols,” it added.

It also said the Chinese vessels were observed to have altered their courses apparently due to the “assertive presence” of both Jose Rizal and Emilio Jacinto.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the Philippine Navy, remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding our nation’s sovereignty,” said NLNC chief Commodore Edward Ike de Sagon.

“These ongoing patrols in the northern maritime domain reaffirm our dedication to protecting our sovereign rights and enforcing maritime law with vigilance and resolve,” De Sagon said.

Condemnation

Senators, meanwhile, denounced the latest incident of harassment by the CCG and PLAN that led to two Chinese vessels colliding with each other.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the episode was “a classic case of reaping what one sows,” as he asked the CCG to “cease and desist from engaging in dangerous maneuvers” against Philippine vessels.

“These tactics not only endanger our maritime personnel and fisherfolk, they also escalate tensions unnecessarily. Nothing good will come of such actions, except the empty display of logistical superiority,” Estrada said.

“Nonetheless, we will not be cowed. We will continue to defend our sovereignty, protect our people and uphold the rule of law,” he added.

Estrada also lauded the “professionalism and magnanimous act” of PCG personnel who offered medical assistance to injured Chinese crew members “even in the face of the continuing reckless aggression by the China Coast Guard and the People’s Liberation Army.”

“They even offered help despite being assaulted with water cannon,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, for his part, underscored the dangers facing Philippine personnel “in asserting our rightful jurisdiction on our waters” and called on Chinese vessels to get out.

“This latest incident at the West Philippine Sea only shows the peril our troops face,” Villanueva said.

“We’re grateful that despite the harassment, our Coast Guard personnel are safe and able to continue their duty of patrolling our territorial waters,” he added.

“Your continued presence and operation at the West Philippine Sea is illegal and unauthorized. The West Philippine Sea is ours. Get out of Philippine waters,” Villanueva said, addressing Beijing.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also called on China to stop its aggressive acts, saying the collision of its two vessels has proven that Beijing’s actions are reckless and dangerous, even to its own people.

“China should stop this violence. They’re itching to drive away the Filipinos from their own seas, so much so that that their own vessels were ramming each other,” she said in Filipino. “I hope they take this incident as a lesson.”

Hontiveros lauded the PCG for adhering to the Safety of Life at Sea principle when it offered help to distressed Chinese sailors.

The senator also called on the government to support the country’s fisherfolk “to the fullest extent possible, and to allow them continued access to their traditional fishing areas in the Bajo de Masinloc.”

“It is also crucial that we maintain a year-round maritime law enforcement presence to safeguard our fisherfolk,” she said. — Helen Flores, Neil Jayson Servallos, Pia Lee-Brago