MANILA – China has once again fired water cannons at two Philippine vessels during a patrol in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
According to PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela, four China Coast Guard vessels and six maritime militia vessels had carried out “dangerous maneuvers and obstruction” during a mission to resupply Filipino fishermen near Bajo de Masinloc.
“About 12 nautical miles from Bajo De Masinloc, the Chinese Coast Guard blasted water cannons at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Bankaw,” Tarriela wrote on his X account.
Tarriela added that two Chinese ships used water cannons on both sides of the PCG’s BRP Bagacay at about 100 yards from the shoal, resulting in damage to its railing and canopy.
“This damage serves as evidence of the forceful water pressure used by the China Coast Guard in their harassment of the Philippine vessels,” Tarriela said.
“Despite the harassment and provocative actions of the Chinese Coast Guard, both the PCG and BFAR vessels stood their ground and continued their maritime patrol. They were not deterred and will persist in carrying out their legitimate operations to support Filipino fishermen and ensure their safety,” he added.
The China Coast Guard had reinstalled a 380-meter barrier across the entrance to the shoal – a traditional fishing ground – blocking access to the waters inside, the PCG official said.
The triangular chain of reefs and rocks lies 240 kilometers west of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from the nearest major Chinese land mass of Hainan.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said they are ready to support Filipino missions in the West Philippine Sea when necessary after the latest incident.
“If they would be asking us to come in, step in… we would be ready to react accordingly,” AFP spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla said in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel on Tuesday.
Padilla however said that “there was no guidance to mobilize” following the incident, adding they are taking “very calculated” moves in relation to the tensions in the waterway./PN
