Members of the House Young Guns bloc were in arms over the over the “violent assault” perpetrated by the China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel on a Philippine Navy sailor near the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Tinitindigan namin ang karahasan na ito! Hindi ito tama! (We stand against this violence! This is not right!)” the Young Guns declared in a joint statement Tuesday, July 21.
Deputy Speakers Paolo Ortega V (La Union, 1st district), Jay Khonghun (Zambales, 1st district); and Deputy Majority Leaders Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur, 1st district), and Ernix Dionisio (Manila, 1st district) issued the statement.
A CCG rigid-hull inflatable boat with eight personnel approached and circled the BRP Sierra Madre, taking photos and videos.
When Philippine Navy rubber boats escorted the vessel away, one of the CCG personnel struck the unarmed Philippine Navy sailor on the head with a wooden baton. This resulted in a serious head injury as well as damage to a Navy rubber boat.
“Hindi dapat nakakaranas ng ganitong karahasan ang isang Pilipino — sa loob ng ating Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)!” they added.
(No Filipino should experience such violence — within our Exclusive Economic Zone!)
“We stand with our Armed Forces and the Filipino people in defending our maritime domain. Diplomacy must be matched with resolve. We will not back down,” they said.
Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippines’ EEZ. The House Young Guns stressed that such aggression violates international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
These actions cannot be allowed to undermine Philippine sovereign rights, they said.
The bloc salutes the professionalism and restraint shown by our Navy personnel amid the provocation and wishes the injured sailor a swift and complete recovery.
“We call on China to immediately stop these dangerous acts that endanger lives and threaten regional stability,” the Young Guns stated.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to protecting Philippine sovereignty and supporting all government efforts to secure our waters and personnel.
