By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora and Raymond Carl Dela Cruz | Philippine News Agency
A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel escorting a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal collided anew with a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel Tuesday morning, causing minor damage to the ship.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela reported that BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) collided with CCG vessel 21555 due to the latter’s “dangerous maneuvers and blocking”.
In a video clip of the incident, two PCG personnel were seen scrambling to place a makeshift fender using buoys to lessen the impact before the two vessels collided.
Two CCG personnel, meanwhile, were seen documenting the incident with a handheld video camera as the event unfolds.
Tarriela said aside from BRP Sindangan, another ship BRP Cabra was also deployed to the regular rotation and reprovisioning mission (RORE).
This was the latest collision between a Filipino and Chinese vessel in the West Philippine Sea less than two months since Manila and Beijing held a bilateral meeting in January and agreed “to avoid escalation of tensions”.
In a press conference, Tarriela said the PCG vessels were deployed to meet Unaiza May 1 and Unaiza May 4.
“The PCG was to meet them at Sabina Shoal this morning and from there we’re going to Ayungin Shoal so that PCG vessels can act as escorts for the two indigenous boats,” he said.
While en route to Ayungin Shoal to resupply Philippine troops stationed at the grounded BRP Sierra Madre, the vessels encountered five CCG ships and “a very large number of Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels.”
“They were very successful in corralling our vessels, naharangan nila ‘yung barko namin,” he said.
After being separated, the PCG vessels tried to catch up with the indigenous boats to complete the escort mission.
“Pag ginagawa namin ‘yan, the CCG didn’t hesitate to block our way to the indigenous boats. And ang nangyari, we collided with the CCG,” he said.
However, he said PCG officers managed to minimize the damage of the collision.
“We have to make sure that the PCG is capable of immediate response, that’s why we prevented ‘yung malaki-laking damage as a result of the collision,” he said.
The Philippine government conducts a regular RORE to ensure the safety of Filipino troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin, located well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
‘Troubling’
Meanwhile, the European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron said he was “troubled by today’s pattern of dangerous maneuvers and blocking from Chinese Coast Guard vessels and Maritime Militia targeting Philippine vessels engaged in crucial resupply missions”.
In a post on X, the envoy reiterated EU’s call for all parties in the South China Sea “to abide by the legally binding 2016 Arbitration Award and international law to peacefully resolve disputes, guaranteeing safety in maritime waters”.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue a statement when asked to comment.
Illegal, irresponsible
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) also condemned Beijing’s latest harassment, which damaged two Filipino ships and injured four crew members.
At around 6:32 a.m., a CCG vessel with bow 21555 executed dangerous blocking maneuvers against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) which caused a minor collision, resulting in minor damage to the hull of the Philippine ship.
At 8:15 a.m., another CCG vessel caused a minor collision with Unaizah Mae 4 (UM4) due to its dangerous blocking maneuvers.
“The use of water cannons by the CCG vessels shattered the wind shield of UM4, causing minor injuries to at least four personnel on board,” the NTF-WPS said.
The injured personnel were immediately treated, it said.
Due to the damage and injuries to the vessel and crew, the UM4 returned to mainland Palawan and was escorted by the BRP Sindangan.
The NTF-WPS said China’s latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers have put the lives of Filipinos at risk.
“The systematic and consistent manner in which the People’s Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue and lessening of tensions,” the task force noted.
Meanwhile, it said the Philippines will continue to act peacefully and responsibly, consistent with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award.
“The Philippines will not be deterred from exercising our legal rights over our maritime zones, including Ayungin Shoal which forms part of our exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community,” the NTF-WPS said. (with Priam Nepomuceno)
