Less than a month after a ramming and water cannon incident in Bajo de Masinloc, another attack by the China Coast Guard on a Philippine vessel in the Kalayaan Island Group on October 12 drew sharp condemnation from officials and experts, who called it a clear violation of Philippine sovereignty and international law.
The incident involved the deliberate firing of water cannons and ramming of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya, which was conducting humanitarian operations well within Philippine waters.
“This move damaged the vessel and endanger[ed] Filipino personnel who were conducting humanitarian operations well within Philippine waters,” said the Stratbase ADR Institute. “The growing frequency and intensity of these incidents are deeply alarming. Taken together, they demonstrate a dangerous and escalating pattern of aggression.”
The institute stressed that Beijing’s behavior “should not and cannot be normalized or tolerated” and “must be met with firm, coordinated, and decisive measures to end this pattern of coercion.” It also urged the Philippine government to deepen security partnerships and modernize its defense and coast guard capabilities to strengthen deterrence.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan likewise issued a strong rebuke, calling the attack “a brazen act of aggression.”
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal and reckless actions of the China Coast Guard (CCG) and its maritime militia on October 12, 2025, off Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea,” Pangilinan said. “It was a deliberate assault on our sovereignty and on the Filipino people.”
He added, “This latest incident adds to the growing pattern of Chinese hostility within our sovereign territory and Exclusive Economic Zone. It is an affront to the rule of law, to peace and stability in the region, and to the dignity of every nation that abides by international norms.”
Pangilinan vowed to push for more resources for the Coast Guard and BFAR to “patrol, protect, and persevere,” and urged Filipinos to “remain vigilant and united,” declaring: “The West Philippine Sea is ours—by law, by right, and by the unwavering spirit of a people who refuse to be cowed.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines), in an earlier statement on October 7, reaffirmed the country’s “incontrovertible” sovereignty over its archipelago and territories, including Bajo de Masinloc and the Kalayaan Island Group.
“The Philippines will continue to remain vigilant against attempts to misinform the general public,” it said. “It will continue to assert and preserve its territorial integrity, and strongly uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law.”
The latest incident comes amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea. In the first week of October, Chinese vessels disrupted BFAR resupply operations, fired water cannons, and rammed Philippine ships near disputed features. These actions have been widely described as deliberate and hostile, coinciding with heightened Chinese military activities and patrols in contested areas.