The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Sunday condemned the China Coast Guard’s latest water cannon attack against a Philippine vessel during a rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal last week.

According to the PCG, the China Coast Guard’s “unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers” have put the lives of their personnel at risk and they did not act according to the “universally acceptable behavior of the coast guard”.

“The dangerous maneuvering of the CCG vessels are illegal and irresponsible actions that puts into question and significant doubt their narrative of law enforcement and their real identity as a coast guard organization,” the PCG said in a statement.

The PCG said they have “acted responsibly” in line with the rules-based law and have maintained “professional behavior” despite the provocations of the China Coast Guard.

“The PCG, on the other hand, has acted responsibly, consistent with a rules-based international law, that aligns with the regional norm among the Coast Guard organizations in the region. Our PCG skippers made sure that despite the reckless deployment of the CCG, we can still be able to prevent collision from happening,” the PCG said.

“Despite their provocative actions of deliberately preventing our vessels from completing the mission, the PCG has maintained their professional behavior and ensure that our firm resolve will not be triggered to escalate the tension,” it added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS