Inakusahan ng Pilipinas nitong Lunes ang Chinese Coast Guard na nagsagawa ng "unlawful and aggressive maneuvers" sa West Philippine Sea (WPS) na nagresulta sa pagbangga nito sa dalawang barko ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), na ang isa, nagtamo ng butas.

"This morning, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) and BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) encountered unlawful and aggressive maneuvers from Chinese Coast Guard vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak Islands in the West Philippine Sea," ayon sa pahayag ng National Task Force for the West Philippines Sea (NTF-WPS).

"These dangerous maneuvers resulted in collisions, causing structural damage to both PCG vessels," dagdag nito.

Ayon sa NTF-WPS, maghahatid ang BRP Cape Engaño at BRP Bagacay ng essential supplies sa mga tauhan na nakatalaga sa Patag at Lawak Islands nang mangyari ang insidente.

“This resulted in a collision with the starboard beam of the vessel, creating a hole on the deck with an approximate diameter of five inches,” nakasaad sa binasang pahayag ni NTF-WPS spokesperson Jonathan Malaya nitong Lunes.

Samantala, dalawang beses umanong binangga ng CCG vessel ang BRP Bagacay na nagtamo ng "minor structural damage."

“Despite these incidents, both PCG vessels remain committed to and shall proceed with their mission of delivering essential supplies to personnel stationed on Patag and Lawak Islands,” ayon sa NTF-WPS.

Samantala, sinabi ng spokesperson ng CCG na si Gan Yu sa social media platform na Weibo, na sinadya umano ng mga barko ng PCG na bumangga sa CCG vessels malapit sa Escoda Shoal.

"At 03:24, the Philippine ship No. 4410 (BRP Bagacay) ignored China's repeated solemn warnings and deliberately collided with China's 21551 boat, which was normally safeguarding its rights and enforcing the law in an unprofessional and dangerous manner, resulting in a collision," sabi ni Gan.

Nanindigan naman ang NTF-WPS na patuloy na gagampanan ng PCG ang tungkulin nito na matiyak ang "safety and security of our maritime domain while addressing any threats to our national interests.” --mula sa ulat ni Joviland Rita/FRJ, GMA Integrated News