Metro Manila, Philippines— The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday said it has already reported to authorities details of the Chinese Coast Guard’s (CCG) “dangerous maneuvers” to block the resupply mission of Philippine ships on June 30, and is now awaiting government’s next steps regarding the incident.
Speaking to CNN Philippines’ The Source, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the completed report on the incident was immediately submitted to the National Task Force West Philippine Sea. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was also notified about the matter, he added.
“As to the diplomatic action that has to be carried out by the DFA, I know they’re going to have one but as to what that is in particular, it’s for the DFA to probably explain it much further,” Tarriela said.
CNN Philippines has reached out to DFA about the matter, but it has yet to respond.
During a briefing on Wednesday, Tarriela confirmed reports that the CCG again tried to block PCG vessels on a resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal. A similar incident occurred in April this year.
BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship, has been marooned on Ayungin since 1999 to serve as the Philippines’ outpost in the area. A small contingent of Filipino marines is stationed at the shipwreck on rotation.
China has continuously refused to recognize the 2016 Hague ruling that upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and nullified Beijing’s claims over the West Philippine Sea.
In the latest incident, Tarriela said the CCG came as close as 100 yards, which was very dangerous since it could have led to a collision if the PCG vessel did not decelerate.
Had the collision happened, the smaller PCG vessel would have capsized, he noted.
Tarriela also said that China’s action was a clear violation of the Convention on International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, to which it is a signatory.
On Wednesday, several lawmakers slammed Beijing for its latest aggression in the disputed waters.
‘No bearing’
A fishers group, meanwhile, disagreed with some senators’ call to ban the “Barbie” film in the country for its depiction of China’s controversial “nine-dash line” claim over South China Sea.
Fernando Hicap, National Chairperson of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas, said the government should focus on asserting the country’s sovereign rights in our territorial waters rather than nitpicking on a detail in a fictional film.
“A single scene in a film doesn’t have any bearing for what the Filipino fishers believe and stand for — that the West Philippine Sea is indisputably ours and ours alone,” he said. “As for the Filipino fishers, we won’t be spending even a minute nitpicking on a detail in a fictional film. We’re too busy walking our talk and safeguarding our fishing grounds.”
Hicap also called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to protest the recent harassment of a Chinese vessel against the Philippine Coast Guard near Ayungin Shoal and raise the issue of the sea row at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
