National Maritime Council slams China's water cannon attack at Escoda Shoal

The National Maritime Council (NMC) condemned Monday the recent aggression of Chinese vessels at Sabina Shoal (Escoda Shoal) which hurt three Filipino fishermen.

NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez, who formerly led the Armed Forces’ Western Command, said that while there were previous instances of Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) blasting water cannons on Filipino vessels, they were not that close unlike what happened last December 12.

“Mayroon na ring nag-water cannon sa ating mga mangingisda na mga China Coast Guard. Pero yung mga insidente na ‘yun ay hindi malapitan at paulan lang ang pagbuga ng tubig sa ating nga mangingisda,” he told “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”

(There were also previous instances where the China Coast Guard blasted water cannons at our fishermen. But those incidents were not up close and the water spray on our fishermen was just like a shower.)

“Yung nangyari sa Escoda ay talagang malapitan at direkta, kaya nasugatan ang tatlo nating mangingisda at nakasira ng kanilang mga sasakyang pangisda. Kaya tayo ay nababahala at kinokondena ang pangyayaring ito,” Lopez added.

(What happened at Escoda was truly up close and direct, which is why three of our fishermen were injured and their fishing vessels were damaged. That is why we are concerned and we condemn this incident.)

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said some 20 Filipino fishing boats at the vicinity of Escoda Shoal were "targeted with water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers" by two CCG vessels and accompanying Chinese militia ships.

The PCG said that two Filipino fishing boats "suffered significant damage" from the high-pressure water cannon blasts.

In a message to media on Saturday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila cited separate statements from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command and the CCG "announcing that they had taken necessary measures to expel Philippine small aircraft and vessels that recently illegally intruded into the airspace of China's Huangyan Dao (Scarborough Shoal) and the waters off Xianbin Jiao (Sabina Shoal), respectively."

But the NMC maintained that China has no legal basis for their Coast Guard to have presence at the shoal which is part of the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.

“Unang-una, ilegal ang kanilang presensya sa Escoda Shoal at wala silang karapatang legal base sa international law na magpatupad ng tinatawag nilang controlled measures,”

(First and foremost, their presence at Escoda Shoal is illegal and they have no legal right based on international law to implement what they call controlled measures.)

Located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kilometers off Palawan, Escoda Shoal is a coral reef formation with a central lagoon surrounded by discontinuous shallow sections. It is also called Sabina Shoal, which China refers to as Xianbin Reef. 

READ: EXPLAINER: What is the Sabina Shoal and why is it important?