Despite ramming in Sabina, area not a new flashpoint in WPS tensions – Navy

ANOTHER CONFRONTATION Images released by the Philippine Coast Guard, through the X account of its spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, show the extent of damage sustained by its ships after these were rammed by China Coast Guard vessels early Monday near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the unprecedented ramming incident in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, the Philippine Navy does not yet consider it as one of the flashpoints of tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

“Sabina or Escoda Shoal is not a new flashpoint,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, navy spokesperson for WPS, said in a regular press conference on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that its vessels BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño encountered “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” by China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels in Escoda Shoal, resulting in damage to both ships.

READ: PH vessels rammed, harassed by China anew in West Philippine Sea – Malaya

When asked to confirm if this was the first ramming incident in Escoda Shoal, Trinidad responded, “Yes.”

He reiterated that the actions of CCG in the West Philippine Sea are “illegal.”

“Their actions are coercive and aggressive, their messages deceptive,” Trinidad said of the CCG. “This is the cause of all dynamics in the West Philippine Sea.”

“Sabina is not a flashpoint, it is the ICAD (illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive) activities of the agents of the Chinese Communist Party,” he also said.