AFP denounces China Coast Guard's recent action at Ayungin Shoal as act of bullying

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday strongly criticized the China Coast Guard's (CCG) behavior in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), calling it aggressive and labeling the CCG as a "bully." 

The statement comes in the wake of escalating tensions, with the CCG recently engaging in "dangerous maneuvers" aimed at obstructing a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal.

Colonel Medel Aguilar, the spokesperson for the AFP, did not mince words during a press conference held at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. 

“What we see there is the presence of the CCG is misplaced and a bully,” Aguilar said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City. “The CCG is a misplaced bully at the WPS.” 

On Friday, the AFP conducted another resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal, escorted by Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan. 

Reports indicated that two China Coast Guard ships, along with ten maritime militia vessels, made attempts to obstruct the Philippine ships. 

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reported successful resupply mission in collaboration with the Western Command and PCG.

The latest mission marked the third resupply mission since the August 5 incident when a Chinese coast guard ship drove away with water cannon a Filipino boat carrying food and provisions for Marines stationed on the outpost. Another resupply mission was successfully carried out on August 22.

Aguilar emphasized that the AFP adheres to established laws when determining its maritime boundaries. 

“As far as the AFP is concerned, we always refer to existing laws in defining what is [our] maritime zone right now,” the AFP spokesperson said.

He also recounted an incident in which a Chinese rubber boat faced difficulties while tailing Philippine vessels en route to the Ayungin Shoal for the resupply mission, becoming entangled in a mooring line. 

"One of their RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable boats) got entangled with the mooring line of a fishing boat that was near the BRP Sierra Madre," Aguilar said. 

He added that Filipino troops offered assistance, but the Chinese declined.

The Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands, is situated within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, underlining the country's sovereignty.

The BRP Sierra Madre, a rusty World War II-era ship was intentionally grounded by the Philippine Navy at Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal, in 1999. It serves as the country’s outpost in the West Philippine Sea. 

The handful of Filipino marines stationed on the crumbling ship to assert the Philippines' territorial claims depend upon resupply missions to survive their remote posting.