MANILA – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has denied Chinese accusations that the Philippines caused the recent collision between two Chinese vessels in the contested waters of Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), stressing that Manila bears no liability for the incident.
The Aug. 11 collision involved China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3104 and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warship 164, which crashed while chasing the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol ship BRP Suluan at high speed.
The DFA said the PCG vessel had been escorting a mission to deliver supplies to Filipino fisherfolk when the CCG ship executed a dangerous maneuver, leading to its impact with the Chinese Navy ship.
“The Philippines bears no responsibility for the collision between the PLAN vessel and the CCG vessel in Bajo de Masinloc. It was an unfortunate outcome, but not one caused by our actions,” DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said.
According to the PCG, the impact left the CCG vessel’s forecastle heavily damaged and “unseaworthy.”
The denial came after Chinese state-run Global Times published a statement from Yang Xiao of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, claiming the Philippines “provoked and caused the incident at sea” and should bear “all losses.”
He also warned that “China has every reason and the full right to take all necessary countermeasures, including demands for compensation.”
DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona clarified that Beijing has not lodged any formal compensation demand over the incident.
Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, is a long-standing and integral part of Philippine territory, according to the DFA./PN
