By Martin Sadongdong
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said a Philippine Navy (PN) sailor was assaulted by China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel after the latter reacted violently when their vessel was driven away from BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal on Monday, July 20.
According to the AFP, a CCG rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) carrying eight personnel from vessel “21560” unlawfully closed in on the grounded Navy ship, circling it while taking photos and videos.
Two AFP rubber boats then moved in to push the Chinese craft back.
The AFP stressed that PN personnel acted “calmly and non-confrontationally” in escorting the CCG boat away.
However, the situation escalated when Chinese personnel “reacted violently and aggressively,” striking a Filipino sailor on the head with a wooden baton and damaging the Navy’s rubber boat.
The military underscored that the assault occurred precisely because Philippine forces attempted to block the CCG’s close-range maneuvers near BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as the country’s outpost in the shoal.
The AFP said the injured sailor was immediately treated by Western Command and further medical evacuation is being assessed.
“This latest assault demonstrates a blatant disregard for safety, endangers lives, and escalates tensions in the West Philippine Sea,” the AFP said, adding that its personnel nonetheless followed operational protocols and rules of engagement.
Despite the violence, the AFP vowed to continue lawful operations in Ayungin Shoal, asserting that “no act of coercion or aggression will deter us from exercising the Philippines’ rights within its exclusive economic zone.”
The Department of National Defense (DND) condemned the attack, saying the sailor was struck as part of a “clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior” by China, further eroding trust and reinforcing the government’s policy of disengagement with Beijing.
“Against the backdrop of the PRC’s circumvention of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and disregard of the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling on the South China Sea, their actions further justify the Department’s position of disengagement. We simply cannot trust this belligerent neighbor,” it added.
