How Philippine boats to Ayungin were tailed, blocked by Chinese vessels

Sailing to Ayungin Shoal anew for a resupply mission, a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) boat was tailed, blocked and cut by a Chinese militia vessel leading to a minor collision in the West Philippine Sea over the weekend.

BRP Cabra was escorting Unaizah Mae 2, a wooden boat contracted to ferry supplies for the men manning BRP Sierra Madre which has been grounded at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999.

Unaizah Mae was similarly blocked by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel causing a small damage to the boat, according to a report on "24 Oras" by Sandra Aguinaldo.

Despite the collision, the resupply mission was successful as another supply boat, Unaizah Mae 1, escorted by BRP Sindangan, reached BRP Sierra Madre.

Before this, even the BRP Sindangan came in near collision with a Chinese coast guard vessel that cut its path.

The captain of the Philippine boat was quick to react, commanding  the officer on the tiller to "rollback, pullback," before letting out a sigh.

The Philippines filed another diplomatic protest against China over the incident and summoned the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines.

For his part, Chinese Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong said he conveyed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition of the Chinese side to the Philippine side over its vessels’ intrusion over its so-called waters."

The July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling issued in The Hague upheld the Philippines' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, outlawed Chinese aggression in the common fishing ground of the Scarborough Shoal, and rejected China’s expansive nine-dash-line claim of the entire South China Sea. Beijing has since refused to acknowledge the ruling.

Watch the full report here. —Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA Integrated News