By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
A ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official on Tuesday denied claims that the discovery of cyanide in yellow bottles seized from Chinese sampans near BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal, West Philippine Sea (WPS) was staged and fabricated.
“Number one, our actions in the WPS are designed to secure and to protect our sovereignty and sovereign rights and that would include protecting the environment. Number two, all of our actions are based on scientific evidence. We do not fabricate news. It took more than a year to be able to have this liquid checked to confirm that indeed it contains cyanide. Number three, the area surrounding LS-57 would show that the irreparable damage to the coral reef, it’s quite extensive,” Navy spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Earlier, the National Security Council (NSC) said the PN seized the bottles from Chinese sampans in February 2025 and on Oct. 24, 2025.
Trinidad said they have pictures not only of the cyanide but the other illegal fishing methods used by the Chinese that include the use of “fine mesh nets and even larger nets on the entrance of Ayungin Shoal.”
He said these nets are designed to impede or hamper Philippine rotation and resupply missions in the WPS. The PN official also added these nets are also responsible for damaging or destroying coral reefs in the area.
“What I would like to emphasize is that environmental degradation is not only isolated to the Philippines, it is a global pattern. Each time there are Chinese economic endeavors, history will tell us that environmental degradation is one of the consequences of their efforts,” Trinidad said.
In a statement Monday, NSC spokesperson Assistant Director General Cornelio Valencia Jr. said the deliberate use of cyanide raises serious concerns of illegal and destructive practices that threaten Navy personnel in BRP Sierra Madre, the fragile marine environment of the WPS, and the livelihood of Filipino fisherfolk.
“Laboratory analysis conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic and Scientific Research Service has conclusively established that the yellow bottles seized from the sampans contain cyanide, a highly toxic chemical known to cause severe and irreversible damage to humans and marine ecosystems,” Valencia said.
“Such actions, if proven intentional, constitute a blatant violation of Philippine environmental laws, international maritime norms, and the obligations of states under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” he added.
Valencia said the use of cyanide in Ayungin Shoal is a form of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving PN personnel of a vital food source.
“Moreover, cyanide can damage the reefs, which can ultimately compromise LS-57’s structural foundations. If the reef is severely damaged, it not only threatens LS-57’s stability, it also allows Beijing to fabricate an environmental crisis, which it can then blame on the Philippines. It has in the past accused LS-57 of polluting the shoal in an effort to distract from its own illegal activities,” he said.
