August 21, 2024
MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is currently gathering evidence that will debunk China’s claim that a PCG vessel “deliberately” collided with one of its ships at the Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said on Tuesday.
“The Philippine Coast Guard is just gathering all the pieces of evidence that would debunk the claim of China…We’ll just wait for all the documents, pictures, and videos that the Philippine Coast Guard will release, maybe later on, showing otherwise,” NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez said in a Palace briefing.
“Ang problema kasi ay what the coast guard vessels [on] the ground [say], the lies that their assets on the ground are issuing. Pagdating sa taas ay kini-carry,” he added.
(The problem is what the coast guard vessels on the ground say, the lies that their assets on the ground are issuing. When it reaches the high officials, they believe it.)
On the contrary, the PCG is “very deliberate in coming up with factual details,” according to Lopez.
“It’s more of a responsibility to our public and to a broader extent, our international audience, that this is really what happened, then let the public decide,” he added.
Presidential Assistant on Maritime Concerns Secretary Andres Centino said the PCG was trained to properly gather evidence as part of the potential filing of another diplomatic protest against China.
Last Monday, China Coast Guard spokesperson Geng Yu claimed that the PCG “illegally entered” the waters of Escoda Shoal and “deliberately” collided with a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel.
The West Philippine Sea task force disputed China’s allegation, saying that PCG’s BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño encountered “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” by CCG vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak Islands. It resulted in collisions that caused structural damage to the ships.
The Philippines and China have been embroiled in a maritime dispute as China claims most of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea that is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Permanent Court of Arbitration has invalidated China’s claims and upheld the Philippines’ EEZ through a 2016 Arbitral Award. However, China has ignored the ruling and persistently encroached on Philippine waters and harassed Philippine ships.