A VESSEL of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was sideswiped and hit by water cannons by a ship of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) on Wednesday near a Philippine-occupied island in the West Philippine Sea.
The BFAR, in a statement yesterday, said it dispatched its two vessels, BRP Datu Sanday and BRP Datu Pagbuaya, for a routine marine scientific research (MSR), specifically to collect sand samples at Pag-asa Cays 1, 2, and 3.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At 9:13 a.m., a CCG vessel with bow number 21555, fired water cannons and sideswiped BRP Sanday twice, “resulting in some damage to the latter’s port bow and smokestack, and putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel onboard,” at the vicinity of Pag-asa Cay 2.
“This incident marks the first time water cannons have been used against DA-BFAR research vessels in the area of the Pag-Asa Cays,” BFAR said as it condemned the latest Chinese “aggressive interference.”
Despite the harassment, BFAR said, the scientific team “was able to complete its operations in Pag-asa Cays 1, 2 and 3.”
The BFAR vessels were manned by BFAR and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, during an online press briefing.
Tarriela said there were two CCG vessels (CCG 21559 and CCG 5103) and several Chinese maritime vessels in the area but only one CCG vessel was involved in the water cannoning and sideswiping incident.
He said two Chinese maritime vessels “supported” the harassment.
Tarriela said the Chinese also deployed a Navy helicopter which flew at a “very low altitude” of about 500 meters above the BFAR vessels.
Tarriela said Pag-asa Cay 2 is about 2.5 to 3 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island, the largest among the nine features occupied by Filipino troops in the contested West Philippine Sea.
“It is within the territorial sea of Pag-asa (Island),” said Tarriela of Pag-asa Cay 2.
He said no one was reported hurt in the harassment. He said the morale of the crew members of BRP Sanday remains “very high.”
“They are proud of what they are doing and this kind of harassment will never break their spirit in continuing their patriotic duty in supporting the government’s marine scientific research,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said they are still evaluating the extent of the damage incurred by BRP Datu Sanday.
He said BRP Datu Sanday is proceeding to a undisclosed port. “It still has the capability to sail back safely,” said Tarriela.
Last month, China said its Coast Guard had landed on Pag-asa as part of operations to exercise its sovereignty.
The Philippines has denied Beijing has seized control of the disputed reef.
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
A 2016 ruling of an international arbitral tribunal found Beijing’s sweeping claims had no basis under international law, a decision China rejects.
MILITIA VESSELS
Tarriela said Chinese maritime militia vessels are still at the vicinity of Pag-asa Cay 2 but the CCG vessels have left as of yesterday.
Last January, a Chinese Navy helicopter hovered “at an unsafe altitude” above BFAR rigid-hulled inflatable boats carrying BFAR personnel conducting maritime scientific survey and sand sampling at the cays.
Tarriela said the latest harassment will not deter the conduct of maritime scientific activities.
“We have sovereignty over these waters and despite of their (Chinese) harassment and bullying, our BFAR and Coast Guard will continue doing marine scientific research and it will not stop us from doing this operations,” added Tarriela.
CODE OF CONDUCT
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año urged Asean member states to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in crafting the Asean-China Code on Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.
Año spoke on Wednesday night during the opening of the 2025 Dialogue on Asean Maritime Security in Manila.
He asked Asean members to take steps to protect the maritime environment, noting the declining fish stocks in the Southeast Asian waters brought about by construction of artificial islands and other human activities.
Año said Asean should ensure the COC is fully aligned with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.
UNCLOS provides coastal states with 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone. China’s excessive 10-dash line claim in the South China Sea runs contrary to the UNCLOS provision.
Año said UNCLOS and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China’s claim in the South China Sea remain the cornerstones of the country’s foreign policy approaches to maritime order.
Asean members and China are in the process of crafting the COC amid China’s continuing aggression in the South China, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.
The last COC negotiations was held in the Philippines last month. The next round of negotiations is due to be held on Malaysia later this year.
During the last COC negotiations, Philippines voiced concerns over China’s aggressions in the West Philippine Sea that endangered Philippine vessels and personnel.
“Even if negotiations are moving at a glacial pace, we must ensure that the COC’s provisions align fully with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS,” said Año, who is also the chairman of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.
“Any proposal or attempt to exclude, sideline, or create exceptions to UNCLOS and the broader framework of international law in the proposed COC mechanism reflects a lack of genuine intent and sincerity,” added Año.
RESOLVE
Año also said that while policy makers, diplomats and political leaders are investing time and energy in exploring frameworks to curb maritime tension, “we sometimes overlook the fact that such a framework already exists.”
“What is needed now is not a new system, but the resolve to defend, uphold, and enforce the one we already have,” he said, referring to the UNCLOS.
During the event, Año said fish stocks in Southeast Asian waters have declined by up to 90 percent since the 1950s. He said the catch rates have dropped to 66 to 75 percent in the past two decades.
He said human activities such as illegal giant clam harvesting, dredging, and construction of artificial islands have resulted in severe damage of over 160 square kilometers of coral reefs.
“It is critical that we identify the key factors driving the collapse of fish stocks and marine biodiversity, so that ASEAN member states can address these issues both individually and collectively,” said Año.
What at stake, Año said, is the region’s food security and livelihood of Asean citizens who depend on fishing.
“Asean must then take concrete and decisive steps to protect the rights and safety of our fishermen in our respective exclusive economic zone,” said Año. – With Reuters
