Tinio on Chinese ships’ collision near Panatag Shoal: ‘Kamotes’ on water

(Screengrab from Philippine Coast Guard’s video handout)

MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers have called out China over the aggressive action taken by its vessels over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), after the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) made hazardous maneuvers near Panatag Shoal on Monday morning.

In a statement on Monday, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said it seems that China’s actions show that there are ‘kamotes’ — Filipino for sweet potatoes, and also a term derogatorily used against reckless motorcycle riders — even on water.

Tinio was referring to reports from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) that a CCG vessel chasing a PCG ship eventually collided with a Chinese Navy warship off Panatag (Scarborough).

“I thought reckless drivers only thrive on land but they can also be over water,” Tinio said. “It would be best for the Chinese vessels to leave Bajo de Masinloc and concentrate on their recognized waters and stop hallucinating that the West Philippine Sea is theirs.”

“This reckless behavior by Chinese forces not only violates our sovereignty but also endangers the safety of all vessels in the area, including their own. The 2016 Arbitral Award clearly established that Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground, not China’s exclusive territory,” he added.

In a separate statement, Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said they condemn China’s harassment of the mission that was intended to help Filipino fisherfolk over the WPS.

According to Diokno also, Panatag is clearly part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, and China has no right to stop free movement over it.

“As part of the WPS bloc in the House, we strongly condemn China’s harassment of the ‘Kadiwa’ mission for our fisherfolk at the West Philippine Sea. The Scarborough Shoal is part of our waters and China has no right to intrude on the activities and stop our free movement within our territory,” the lawmaker said.

“I also call on the government to come up with appropriate action regarding China’s actions. We also salute the members of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) who did not have second thoughts in terms of helping the CCG crew affected despite the incident,” he added.

Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, meanwhile, said that China must be held accountable.

“Amid these never-ending aggressions and incursions of China, wherein our fishermen and soldiers are being blocked, harassed and intimidated, we call on the government to further strengthen its resolve and defense of our national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” de Lima said.

“China must be held accountable for their illegal actions. Defending the WPS means defending our fishermen and our dignity as a sovereign nation,” she added.

According to reports, the CCG vessel attempted to use a water cannon on the BRP Suluan, but PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the “seamanship skills of PCG crew members allowed the vessel to successfully evade being hit.”

BRP Suluan, along with BRP Teresa Magbanua, escorted the M/V Pamamalakaya, which was in the area to assist about 35 Filipino fishing vessels.

READ: Chinese ships collide off Scarborough Shoal; PH Coast Guard offers aid 

Tarriela said the collision between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warship No. 164 and the CCG 3104 occurred about 10.5 nautical miles east of Panatag Shoal.

“The CCG 3104, which was chasing the BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky maneuver from the PCG vessel’s starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA Navy warship,” Tarriela said.

“This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” he added.

The WPS, a body of water that forms part of the South China Sea, is inside the western side of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

China, however, insists ownership on many islands inside the WPS, despite the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) award in 2016 which stated that the Philippines has exclusive rights over its waters.

Last May 2025, the CCG also figured in an incident over WPS after one of its ships sideswiped and water cannoned a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) research vessel near Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island.

According to BFAR, this is the first time that a CCG vessel used water cannons on their boats, which were only on a routine mission with a team of scientists to collect sand samples at Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay).

However, this is not the first time that the CCG conducted water cannon operations over the WPS. In August 2023, a CCG vessel water-cannoned Philippine vessels that were trying to bring supplies to soldiers at BRP Sierra Madre, which is beached at Ayungin shoal.

Ayungin shoal is well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

READ: PCG condemns China Coast Guard’s water cannon attack in WPS 

In response to the event, China claimed that a former administration promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin, but the promise has not been acted upon. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. then said that he has not made that agreement, and if such a deal exists, it has already been terminated. /apl