A Chinese ship yesterday “deliberately rammed” a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel that was providing cover for Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) reported.
In a statement, PCG Spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship struck the stern of the BRP Datu Pagbuaya, causing minor structural damage but leaving all crew members unharmed.
The civilian ship and two other BFAR vessels were anchored in the territorial waters off Pag-asa Island to protect Filipino fishermen there when they “faced dangerous and provocative maneuvers” from the CCG and Chinese maritime militia vessels.
Tarriela recounted that the incident happened at 8:15 a.m., when the CCG vessels “approached dangerously close” and fired their high-pressure water cannons, posing a “clear threat against the BFAR vessels.”
He said the situation took a turn for the worse at approximately 9:15 a.m. when the CCG chip with bow number 21559 fired its water cannon directly at the BRP Datu Pagbuaya.
Three minutes later, the same CCG ship rammed the stern of the Philippine vessel, the PCG officer added.
“Despite these bullying tactics and aggressive actions, the PCG and BFAR remain resolute. We will not be intimidated or driven away, as our presence in the Kalayaan Island Group is crucial for protecting the rights and livelihoods of Filipino fishermen,” said Tarriela.
Meanwhile, China had its own version of the story, painting itself as the victim of harassment.
In an online statement, CCG spokesman Liu Dejun said the incident occurred after a Philippine vessel entered waters near Sandy Cay, and “ignored repeated stern warnings from the Chinese side, and dangerously approached” the Chinese ship.
“Full responsibility lies with the Philippine side,” he added.
However, photos and videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed a China Coast Guard vessel, with its activated water cannon, pursuing a Philippine ship.
Sunday’s incident is the latest in a string of recent flare-ups between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea, a busy waterway through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes.
Last month, the Philippine government said one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of another fisheries bureau ship, the BRP Datu Gumbay Piang, near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.
And in August, a Chinese navy vessel collided with one from its own coast guard while chasing a Philippine patrol boat near the same shoal.
Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense (DND) reaffirmed the Philippines’ “unassailable sovereignty” over its entire national territory, including the WPS, and called China’s sweeping maritime claims “baseless” and “self-serving.”
“Let there be no mistake. The territory of the Republic of the Philippines is not a matter of negotiation or reinterpretation. It is an indivisible whole, defined by incontrovertible historical facts and enshrined in international law,” DND said in a statement.
The DND also cited the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington as the foundational documents that established Philippine territorial integrity, including maritime features such as Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) and the Kalayaan Island Group (part of the Spratly Islands).
It dismissed Beijing’s assertion that the Philippines is a “late claimant” as “unadulterated fiction, self-serving and lamely designed to legitimize its expansionist agenda.” With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Chinese ship rams BFAR vessel anew at WPS”
