IN what appears to be another act of aggression in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine government made a categorical allegation against the Chinese Coast Guards “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” for which two Philippine Coast Guard vessels were damaged.
“This morning, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) encountered unlawful and aggressive maneuvers from Chinese Coast Guard vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak Islands in the West Philippine Sea,” reads a statement issued by the National Task Force for the West Philippines Sea (NTF-WPS).
“These dangerous maneuvers resulted in collisions, causing structural damage to both PCG vessels.”
However, China has another story to tell over the incident. According to CCG spokesperson Gan Yu, the Philippine vessels BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño “deliberately” collided with a CCG vessel near Escoda Shoal.
“At 03:24, the Philippine ship No. 4410 (BRP Bagacay) ignored China’s repeated solemn warnings and deliberately collided with China’s 21551 boat, which was normally safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a collision,” Gan said.
But the NTF-WPS stood by its account adding that BRP Cape Engaño and BRP Bagacay were about to deliver essential supplies to personnel stationed in Patag and Lawak Islands when the incident happened – “BRP Cape Engaño was navigating 23.01 nautical miles southeast of Escoda Shoal at 3:24 a.m. when CCG vessel 3104 performed aggressive maneuvers.”
“This resulted in a collision with the starboard beam of the vessel, creating a hole on the deck with an approximate diameter of five inches,” the NTF-WPS said in its statement read by task force spokesperson Jonathan Malaya during a forum on the WPS issue.
Meanwhile, the BRP Bagacay also sustained structural damage after being rammed twice by CCG vessel 21551 at 3:40 a.m. 21.3 nautical miles southeast of Escoda Shoal.
Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry filed a formal protest over the presence of Philippine ship BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal which is only 75 nautical miles away from Palawan and “is well within the 200-nautical mile Philippine exclusive economic zone.”
BRP Teresa Magbanua has not left Escoda Shoal since April amid reports of China’s reclamation activities in the area.
“The PCG stands firm in its responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests,” the NTF-WPS said.
“We urge restraint and adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant international laws to prevent further escalations and ensure the safety of all vessels operating in the region,” added NTF-WPS in reference to a maritime region known as conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce.
Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s massive claims in the SCS, saying it has “no legal basis.” China, however, does not recognize the decision. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
