MANILA, Philippines — The latest incident over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) where an alleged member of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) assaulted a Philippine Navy personnel only shows that China behaves like “riding-in-tandem” criminals over waters, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula said.
In a statement on Monday, Ismula condemned China for even having inclinations towards violence when they have been wrongly claiming that the WPS is theirs—comparing them to motorcycle riders who commit criminal acts like theft, robbery, assault, and assassination.
“The Chinese Coast Guard is acting like a riding-in-tandem over seas,” Ismula said.
“They have been illegally claiming our seas, but they have the gall to be ruthless and violent towards us Filipinos. The Chinese government is acting like pirates and bandits in our own seas,” she added.
On Monday afternoon, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported that a Navy personnel was injured after members of the CCG assaulted him during a confrontation at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
AFP said that a CCG rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) with eight personnel, coming from vessel CCGV 21560, unlawfully approached within close range of the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin. It circled and took photos and videos, prompting two AFP rubber boats “to calmly and non‑confrontationally drive it away.”
However, the military said the situation escalated when CCG personnel “reacted violently and aggressively” by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing an injury and damaging the Navy rubber boat.
The Navy personnel were stationed aboard BRP Sierra Madre, the Navy vessel that has been deliberately beached at the Ayungin Shoal.
Ayungin Shoal is well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile or 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.
READ: AFP: China Coast Guard assaults Philippine Navy officer in Ayungin
Not the first time
But Ismula reminded the public that this is not the first time that the country’s uniformed personnel were assaulted by members of the CCG—recalling an incident where a Navy sailor had a portion of his thumb cut off in an incident in 2024.
Ismula was referring to Seaman First Class Jeffrey Facundo, the Navy sailor whose thumb was cut off after a botched resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal, particularly at BRP Sierra Madre.
“This is not the first time that China assaulted one of our uniformed personnel doing patrols over the West Philippine Sea. In 2024, Seaman First Class Jeffrey Facundo lost a portion of his finger due to the China Coast Guard,” she said.
“We call on the President to expel the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines to show their government that we are not blind to their violent acts,” she added.
On June 25, 2024, Facundo spoke before the Senate committee on foreign relations, narrating the incident. According to Facundo, they were at BRP Sierra Madre when an RHIB from the CCG arrived and rammed them—eventually resulting in him losing a part of his thumb.
READ: PH Navy man who lost thumb recounts China aggression at Ayungin
Ismula’s fellow Akbayan party-list lawmaker, Rep. Percival Cendaña, said that the latest incident shows that China are not “honest actors” as some may perceive—adding that diplomatic protests would only fall on deaf ears.
“Clearly, we are not dealing with honest actors here. The Chinese government has no qualms in using physical violence and intimidation as its weapons of choice in addressing its disagreements with its neighbors. Continued issuances of diplomatic protests will only fall on deaf ears,” Cendaña said.
“Instead, I call on the President to expel the Chinese Ambassador to show that we do not tolerate such barbaric and uncivilized behavior. We cannot let their continued insults toward our fellow Filipinos continue,” he added.
‘Outrageous and reckless act of aggression’
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that the attack on the Navy personnel was an “outrageous and reckless act of aggression” that endangered lives and did nothing but to worsen tensions in the region.
“No responsible nation should tolerate the use of force, intimidation, or dangerous maneuvers against personnel engaged in peaceful and legitimate government operations. These actions only deepen distrust, heighten regional tensions, and undermine efforts to resolve disputes through peaceful means,” Barbers said.
“The Filipino people have repeatedly shown that we will not be intimidated by threats or acts of aggression. We will continue to defend our sovereignty, protect our lawful maritime rights, and stand firmly behind our brave service members who risk their lives in the service of our nation. Peace must always remain our objective, but it must be founded on mutual respect, adherence to international law, and an unequivocal rejection of violence and coercion,” 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, has insisted on ownership of 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.
Incidents between the two countries over this area have occurred several times, and are well-documented. In August 2023, a CCG vessel water-cannoned Philippine vessels which were only trying to bring supplies to soldiers at BRP Sierra Madre.
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. /cb
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