The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) urged the Chinese government on Monday, Feb. 13, to “restrain” its forces in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) after a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel pointed a military-grade laser light at a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
CCG vessel with bow number 5205 pointed the laser light towards BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) in Ayungin Shoal last Feb. 6 while it was supporting a rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission of the Philippine Navy (PN).
“I think this is the time for the Chinese government to restrain its forces so that it does not commit any provocative act that will endanger the lives of people,” Aguilar said.
According to Aguilar, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. declared the act committed by the CCG as “offensive and unsafe.”
The incident caused temporary blindness to a crew of the BRP Malapascua, according to PCG.
The incident occurred while BRP Malapascua was escorting PN personnel who were transporting supplies to the troops onboard the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
Ayungin Shoal is located 194 km from Palawan, and is occupied by Filipino troops through BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy ship deliberately grounded in the said shoal in 1999 to serve as a military outpost.
The AFP routinely conducts RoRe mission to deliver supplies to the stationed troops and to replace the personnel assigned to the military post. But recently, China has made attempts to block the mission which, security experts thought, is a strategy to starve the Filipino soldiers.