MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives said Monday that it is alarmed by the “increasingly aggressive” actions by China in the West Philippine Sea after it rammed a Philippine-flagged vessel transporting supplies in Escoda Shoal.
“Again, we condemn in the strongest terms this newest reckless and dangerous maneuvers by the China Coast Guard on our vessels, this time a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship conducting a humanitarian mission by resupplying Filipino fishermen with food, medical supplies and diesel,” House Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement.
He noted that this is the second time in about a week that China has “used its power to harass and intimidate our vessels and personnel within our own territory.” On August 19, Chinese Coast Guard ships rammed two Philippine Coast Guard vessels and fired eight rounds of flares at a Philippine Air Force plane conducting an aerial patrol on August 8.
The BFAR ship was resupplying fishermen at Hasa-Hasa Shoal when it was rammed by a CCG ship.
The shoal is approximately 60 nautical miles from Rizal, Palawan, and at Escoda Shoal, around 110 nautical miles away from Rizal town.
“This area is clearly within the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, to which China and the Philippines are signatories,” Speaker Romualdez said.
He pointed out that the two shoals are over 1,000 miles from China.
Romualdez also reiterated his call for China to respect and adhere to international law and to exercise restraint by halting all aggressive actions.
He urged Beijing to engage in consultations and dialogue to resolve conflicts rather than resorting to confrontation and aggression.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to release a statement following the recent maritime incident, but the foreign affairs bureau has already said it has lodged a diplomatic protest against China after it fired eight rounds of flares at a PAF plane in Scarborough Shoal earlier this month.
