MANILA – The Philippines has conveyed its “complaint and displeasure” to China following the ramming incident involving the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP Teresa Magbanua, near Escoda or Sabina Shoal last weekend, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo stated on Monday.
“We have made the necessary approaches to China in terms of contacting them through various means to express our complaint and displeasure at what happened. And not only that, our concern about raising tensions over what was basically just innocent movement by Philippine vessel,” Manalo said during an interview in Malacañang.
Both China and the Philippines accused each other on Saturday of intentionally ramming their coast guard vessels near Sabina Shoal.
Manalo mentioned that Philippine officials were caught off guard by the incident, which took place while the Philippine vessel was maneuvering around Escoda Shoal.
“They have accused us, as usual, of doing this and that, but obviously it was just their doing this… We were just moving, and we were surprised by this incident,” he explained.
The Philippine government is currently evaluating “possible approaches to this issue,” which may be clarified in the upcoming days or weeks, according to Manalo.
“We’re contemplating, at the moment, possible approaches to this issue. And I think siguro in the coming days or weeks, we’ll probably have a better picture of where we’re headed for this,” he added.
Sabina Shoal is located 140 kilometers west of Palawan, a Philippine island, and about 1,200 kilometers away from Hainan island, China’s closest major landmass.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the Philippine Coast Guard, stated that the China Coast Guard vessel 5205 “directly and intentionally rammed” the BRP Teresa Magbanua. The Philippine vessel has been stationed at Sabina Shoal since April to reinforce Manila’s claim over the area.
Tarriela reported that the BRP Teresa Magbanua was struck three times, sustaining hits on the port bow, starboard quarter, and port beam. No crew members were injured, but the ship suffered damage to its bridge wing and freeboard, and a hole was discovered.
This incident marks the fifth case of Chinese maritime harassment this month, according to Tarriela.
There have been at least two collisions between Philippine and Chinese vessels near Sabina Shoal this month. Analysts suggest that Beijing may be attempting to extend its reach further into Manila’s exclusive economic zone to establish control over the area.
The discovery of crushed coral piles at Sabina Shoal earlier this year has fueled suspicions in Manila that Beijing might be planning to build another permanent base, which would be its closest outpost to the Philippine archipelago.
Recent conflicts have also occurred between Philippine and Chinese vessels around the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. In June, a Filipino sailor lost a thumb during a confrontation in which Chinese coast guard personnel armed with knives, sticks, and an ax prevented a Philippine Navy resupply mission to a small garrison.
Sabina Shoal also serves as a rendezvous point for Philippine resupply missions to the garrison stationed at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The frequent confrontations have led Manila to label Beijing as the “biggest disrupter” to peace in Southeast Asia at a recent defense conference.