Teodoro hits China for 'lying' again about Ayungin incident
Chinese Coast Guard fires water cannon on PH ships anew
Published Jul 23, 2026 05:54 pm
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
China has no business interfering in Philippine activities within the West Philippine Sea, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Thursday, July 23, as he accused the former of inventing stories to justify its presence in the country’s territorial waters.
Teodoro made the statement as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed another water cannon incident allegedly perpetrated by a Chinese Coast Guard Vessel on BRP Datu Dumangsil at around 6 a.m. Thursday at Bajo de Masinloc.
In an interview with reporters, Teodoro said China could never be trusted amid the repeated duplicity wherein it is acting way different in the West Philippine Sea from what it has been saying about friendship and diplomacy.
“They went to the area and fabricated stories. They ifabricated a story on the encounter, they spliced the video, how can we trust them?,” said Teodoro.
He was referring to the statement of Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan who said that the reason why Chinese Coast Guard circled around the BRP Sierra Madre was because of the alleged illegal construction.
The BRP Sierra Madre was an old Navy vessel which was intentionally grounded at the Ayungin Shoal to assert Philippine sovereignty in 1999. It has been serving as a permanent post of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The incident resulted in at least one Navy personnel hurt as Chinese Coast Guard personnel on board an inflatable boat allegedly attacked him while he and other Navy men tried to drive the Chinese away.
For Jing, the construction was a violation of provisional understanding that new structures will be erected but Teodoro said China did not present any proof of alleged construction inside the BRP Sierra Madre.
“Wala akong alam dun sa provisional understanding, wala silang pakialam kung anong gawin natin sa teritoryo natin (I don't know anything about provisional understanding. And they have no right to interfere with what we do within our territory),” said Teodoro.
“Pangalawa, wala silang karapatan talaga na nandodoon sila. Walang hiya talaga, eh! Hindi na ako dapat magpigil, eh. Galit na ang taumbayan. Lantaran na ito, eh. Inuunggoy na tayo (Second, they really have no right to be there. They are truly shameless! I shouldn't hold back anymore. The public is already angry. This is blatant. They are making a mockery of us,” he added.
He said China could not prove the allegation and emphasized that it is fabricating stories to justify its claim of ownership of almost all of the South China Sea—a claim that was rejected by a UN Tribunal.
He said this is not the first time that China invented stories, citing the recent claim from supposed Chinese scholars claiming that Batanes is part of China.
For Teodoro, everything, including the recent incident wherein China released an AI-video showing Filipinos as monkeys, is orchestrated and part of China’s plan.
“It is part of a design to control the Pacific Ocean and we have to be ready for this, we need to be strong and stand our ground to fight for our dignity and right as an archipelagic country,” said Teodoro.
Water Cannon
In its report, the Philippine Coast Guard said the Chinese Coast Guard approached close to nearly 50 meters off the bow of the BRP Datu Dumangsil and later, fired water cannon at the vessel for more than two minutes.
“These actions violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and endangered Filipino personnel engaged in a purely humanitarian undertaking,” the PCG said.
No injuries were reported, and the PCG said its vessel, along with that of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) continued their mission of providing fuel subsidies to local fishermen.
Radio challenge
The PCG said that while its PCG Cessna Grand Caravan was conducting a Maritime Domain Awareness flight over Bajo de Masinloc, it received a radio challenge from Chinese forces well within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
The PCG said the aircraft monitored three Ciast Guard vessels, two Chinese Maritime Militia vessels one PLA-Navy (UBN) vessel in the area.
“As of this morning, three (3) PCG vessels, four (4) BFAR vessels, and M/V Mamalakaya remain at BDM to continue the operation, against nine (9) CCG vessels ( CCG-21578, CCG-21579, CCG-3303,CCG-5306, CCG-4301, CCG-3107, CCG-21581, CCG-3302 and CCG-21563) and one (1) Chinese Maritime Militia vessel (QIONG SAN SHAYU 00304) monitored in the area,” the PCG report read.
'Atin ‘to'
In a statement, the PCG said Bajo de Masinloc is an integral part of Philippine territory and this was affirmed through a legally binding 2016 Arbitral Award which also recognized the traditional fishing rights of Filipino fishermen in its waters.
“The PCG and BFAR will continue to support Filipino fisherfolk and maintain a lawful presence in the West Philippine Sea, consistent with UNCLOS and the directive of the President of protecting the Filipino fishermen,” it said.