At least 10 Chinese vessels again performed "dangerous" maneuvering, blocking and water cannoning two Philippine government vessels on maritime patrol in Bajo de Masinloc on Monday.
In a statement Tuesday, National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) spokesperson, (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG vessel BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel, BRP Bankaw (MMOV-3004), encountered four Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and six Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels.
At around 9:53 a.m., the BFAR vessel was about 12 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc when CCG-3305 used its water cannon and hit its starboard astern.
The PCG vessel was around 1,000 yards east-southeast of Bajo de Masinloc when both CCG-3105 and CCG-5303 surrounded it from both sides and hit it with jet stream water cannons, damaging its railing and canopy.
“This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels," Tarriela said.
He noted that the CCG has once again installed a 380-meter floating barrier that covers the entire entrance of the Bajo de Masinloc, restricting access to the area.
“Despite the harassment and provocative actions of the Chinese Coast Guard, both the PCG and BFAR vessels stood their ground and continued their maritime patrol. They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety,” he said.
The attack happened on the same day the multilateral maritime exercise ended between the Philippines, United States and France for this year’s Balikatan exercises.
During the exercise, two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels were spotted tailing the four Filipino, American, and French warships, in addition to several other sightings of Chinese vessels in surrounding areas during the previous days.
Support PBBM’s firm stance on WPS
Meanwhile, a lawmaker on Tuesday urged the public to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s firm stance to defend the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In a press conference, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said that in light of the recent attack of China's coast guard against two Philippine vessels, everyone should be supporting President Marcos's stance against Chinese aggression.
“We should support the President. Because bullying tactics, a strategy like that, should be countered with a strong opposition and the President has taken that. Kasi pinaglalaban ng Presidente (What the President is fighting for) is not to encroach on anybody's territory; the President does not want to encroach the territory of any other country,” Adiong said.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, including territories in the WPS that are well within Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Adiong, however, pointed out that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled against China’s sweeping historical claims to the waterway.
“But we are merely protecting ours na hindi naman natin kini-claim (that we are not just claiming) randomly or without any basis at all but this is supported by the decision of the UNCLOS [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Arbitral Tribunal]. So, I guess, ‘yung mga ganyang strategy (in such strategies), they want to portray to the whole world that they're a superpower and that's why they can step on us anytime they want,” he said.
“And that's a basic definition of a bully. Ang dapat na sagot sa isang pagsisindak ay hindi dapat defeatist ang attitude. Dapat tumindig, (The answer to intimidation is not a defeatist attitude. We need to stand firm) and the President is standing on a very legitimate position, and we need to support him on that," he added.
The Philippines' tough stand against China is one of the reasons why the President was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by the 99-year-old American publication Time Magazine. PNA
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