West Philippine Sea: PCG reports more harassment by Chinese vessels in Escoda

(Photo courtesy of PCG)

MANILA, Philippines — Aside from the harassment in Bajo de Masinloc, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) revealed that four of its vessels deployed near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea also encountered aggressive actions from several Chinese vessels on Wednesday morning.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that four PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels responded to calls from Filipino fishermen reporting that small Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) boats were blocking their access to Escoda Shoal.

“So when the BFAR vessel was monitored by the Chinese Coast Guard vessels 21558 and 21559, they immediately conducted a blocking maneuver to prevent BRP Romapenet of the BFAR from proceeding to the closest area where the Filipino fishermen are located,” Tarriela said in a press conference.

READ: West PH Sea: Chinese ships fire water cannon, harass PH vessels anew – PCG

He added that CCG 21549 maneuvered close and side-swept BRP Datu Bankaw twice.

Moreover, the same CCG vessel intentionally rammed BRP Datu Romapenet, destroying some of the Philippine vessel’s structure.

“In total, we have documented the presence of [six] Chinese Coast Guard vessels in Escoda Shoal. China Coast Guard 5205, 5305, 5203, People’s Liberation Army Navy 167, and China Coast Guard 21559 and 21558,” he concluded.

Earlier, Tarriela released a statement revealing that five Chinese vessels also reportedly harassed Philippine vessels conducting a routine maritime patrol within Bajo de Masinloc.

READ: Navy monitors 58 Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea in November

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tarriela reiterated that China has “no jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc, classified as a rock under the 2016 Arbitral Award and Article 121 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

“The Philippines has sovereignty over it, including its territorial sea. The waters beyond Bajo de Masinloc’s 12-nautical-mile territorial sea fall within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, measured from Luzon’s baseline,” he said also said on Wednesday.

“Consequently, the PCG and BFAR vessels are legitimately patrolling our waters, while it is China that is encroaching upon them and militarizing the area by deploying PLA Navy vessels to shadow PCG operations,” Tarriela asserted.

“The dangerous maneuvers and water cannon harassment by the CCG are not standard law enforcement actions; rather, should be interpreted as unlawful aggression by international law violators,” he added.