The Chinese Coast Guard deliberately carried out illegal actions against Filipino soldiers in Ayungin Shoal last June 17, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday, June 27.
In his media interview 10 days after the incident, Marcos said China wanted to prevent the Philippines from conducting its regular rotation and resupply (RORE) mission for the BRP Sierra Madre which is located at the Ayungin Shoal.
The international community slammed China’s aggressive actions as a member of the Philippine Navy had a finger severed when a Chinese ship collided with a boat during that incident.
“It’s not armed, walang pumutok. Hindi tayo tinutukan ng baril but it was a deliberate action to stop our people. But in the process of that, kinuhanan tayo they boarded Philippine vessel and took the equipment from the Philippine vessel,” Marcos said.
“Although there were no arms involved, nonetheless it was still a deliberate action and it is still essentially an illegal action that was taken by the Chinese forces,” Marcos added.
He said that the Philippines needs to do more to protest China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite filing “a hundred” diplomatic protests.
“We have already made a similar number of demarche, so we have to do more than just that. Kasi papatawag natin ‘yung ambassador, sasabihin natin ito ‘yung position natin, hindi natin gusto ‘yung nangyari, and that’s it. But we have to do more than that, so we are doing just that,” Marcos said.
Malacañang was slammed last week after Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that the latest incident was “probably a misunderstanding or an accident.”
However, the government changed its tune days after Bersamin downplayed the incident as Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said that China’s actions were “deliberate.”
“Noong una, tinitingnan lang namin ‘yung data, e baka nagkamali lang. Pero noong napunta na ako sa Wescom at nakausap ko si Torres, at mga seamen, sinabi ko, ‘Ano ba talaga ang nangyari?’ Malinaw na hindi misunderstanding,” Marcos said. (TCSP)
