The Philippine government accused China of proliferating fake news and false information over the latest collision of its vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The National Task Force for West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) condemned China's claim that the small and wooden supply boat "Unaizah Mae 1" intentionally rammed a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel during a resupply mission to Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal) on Dec. 10.

In a press briefing Monday, Dec. 11, NTF-WPS spokesperson Jonathan Malaya described such allegations as " the height of disinformation and fake news."

"It’s akin to claiming that a tricycle intentionally rammed a Victory Liner bus on its way to Baguio. We express grave concern over the deliberate disinformation campaign being waged Beijing using official channels," Malaya said.

During the latest resupply mission, CCG vessel with bow number 21556 allegedly rammed Unaizah Mae 1 while the boat was on its way to deliver fresh provisions to the troops manning Philippine Navy (PN) ship BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal, according to NTF-WPS.

But the CCG, in a statement posted on its website, accused the Philippines of breaking into Ayungin Shoal, which they called Ren'ai Reef, and delivering supplies to an "illegal beach-based warship." The CCG downplayed the collision as mere "scratching" of their vessels.

"The scratching between the Philippine yacht and our coast guard law enforcement boat was caused by the Philippine side's deliberate 'touching porcelain', and the responsibility lies entirely with the Philippines," said CCG Bureau spokesperson Gan Yu.

Both the NTF-WPS and the CCG released videos of the collision involving Unaizah Mae 1 and CCG 21556 to air their side of the story.

Meanwhile, the task force also belied allegations by China that the United States was "fueling the Philippine’s audacity for provocation."

"The United States has no involvement in the missions itself which could be the basis for this speculation from China. We urge the Chinese side to exercise caution in making accusations without proof," Malaya said.

The resupply mission saw the largest deployment of Chinese coast guard, navy, and militia vessels to date, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela.

He said there were a total of 46 Chinese maritime forces that the PCG has documented including 36 maritime militia, eight CCG vessels, and two People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy warships.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also condemned the use of water cannon by the CCG against the supply boats.

Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said the CCG "wantonly disregarded maritime safety and demonstrated unprofessional behavior" when it fired jets of water several times against Unaizah Mae 1 and motor launcher M/L Kalayaan, as well as Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) escort ships BRP Cabra and BRP Sindangan during the resupply mission.

"China Coast Guard and its maritime militia have no right to interfere in our routine and legitimate operations. Ayungin Shoal is within our exclusive economic zone, and their presence and actions are undermining the peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea," Aguilar stressed.

Both the Philippines and China are claiming sovereignty over Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef located within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).