The Philippine Coast Guard faced aggressive maneuvers again from China Coast Guard vessels early yesterday morning while conducting a maritime patrol with the fisheries bureau near Bajo de Masinloc.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTFWPS), said the mission aimed to protect Filipino fishermen and assert the country’s maritime rights.
However, CCG ship 3302 deployed a water cannon against the PCG’s BRP Datu Pagbuaya (MMOV 3003), specifically aiming at its navigational antennas while the vessel was located 16 nautical miles south of Bajo de Masinloc. Not long after that, at 6:55 a.m., the exact same CCG ship purposefully side-swiped the BRP Datu Pagbuaya on its starboard side and launched yet another water cannon attack.
Meanwhile, other PCG vessels faced similarly hostile actions. The BRP Teresa Magbanua was blocked and shadowed by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessel 500 and CCG 503, which engaged in dangerous maneuvers.
The BRP Cabra also encountered reckless movements from CCG 3104, which closed in to a dangerous distance of just 300 yards.
CCG 21559 deliberately rammed too, the BFAR vessel BRP Datu Romapenet, resulting in damage to the ship.
Despite these aggressive tactics, the PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) remained firm in their mission to protect Filipino fishermen and assert the country’s maritime rights.
In a post on his X account, Tarriela stated that the People’s Republic of China lacks jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc, which is categorized as a rock according to the 2016 Arbitral Award and Article 121 of UNCLOS.
The Philippines maintains sovereignty over the area, encompassing its territorial sea. The waters that extend beyond the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea of Bajo de Masinloc are encompassed within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone, which is determined from the baseline of Luzon.
“Consequently, the PCG and BFAR vessels are legitimately patrolling our waters, while it is China that is encroaching upon them and militarizing the area by deploying PLA Navy vessels to shadow PCG operations,” he said.
“The dangerous maneuvers and water cannon harassment by the CCG are not standard law enforcement actions; rather, should be interpreted as unlawful aggression by international law violators,” he added.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila’s X account replied to Tarriela’s post with: “China Coast Guard spokesperson made a statement on the Philippine ships’ attempt to intrude into the territorial waters of Huangyan Island. China Coast Guard spokesperson Liu Dejun said that on December 4, Philippine Coast Guard ships 9701, 4409 and official ships 3002 and 3003 attempted to intrude into China’s territorial waters of Huangyan Island and dangerously approached the normal law enforcement patrol ships of the Chinese Coast Guard. China implemented control over them in accordance with laws and regulations.”
The state-owned English-language news outlet China Daily reported on the afternoon of December 4 that Liu claimed that BRP Pagbuaya collided with their CCG ship near Huangyan Island, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, in the South China Sea.
He claimed that the PCG and government vessels, along with several fishing boats, intruded into China’s territorial waters. The CCG responded by implementing control measures in line with Chinese laws and regulations.
Liu accused the Philippine vessel of ignoring multiple warnings, deliberately reversing course, and ramming into CCG ship No. 3302, endangering navigation safety.
He labeled the Philippines as “provocateurs” and accused them of using fishing protection as a pretext for infringing on Chinese sovereignty while distorting facts to mislead international opinion.
China has warned the Philippines to halt what it calls provocations and propaganda, cautioning that Manila will bear responsibility for any consequences.
