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The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal. Handout/PCG

The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal.

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3 Pinoy fishermen sustain injuries after harassment from Chinese vessels: PCG

Marilyn Cahatol

Jose Carretero

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1765607279712viber_image_2025-12-13_13-48-17-741.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal." width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Philippine Coast Guard rescue Filipino fishermen who were harassed by Chinese vessels at Escoda Shoal. <em>Handout/PCG</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Chinese vessels targeted approximately 20 Filipino fishing boats in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday, Dec. 12, the Philippine Coast Guard said.</p><p> The PCG said the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships attacked the Filipino boats with water cannons and used dangerous blocking maneuvers near Escoda Shoal within the Philippine exclusive economic zone.</p><p> Chinese personnel on inflatable boats also deliberately cut anchor lines of several Filipino boats, endangering the vessels and their crews, the PCG said. </p><p>The PCG said three Filipino fishermen were injured, including bruises and open wounds, while two boats were damaged by high-pressure water cannon blasts.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FIRST TIME</strong></div><p> Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, said this is the first time that the Chinese coast guard aimed the water cannon directly to the boats of the fishermen.</p><p>&quot;Ito ang unang pagkakataon na they directly hit the  boat of our Filipino  fishermen because before ang ginagawa lamang nila is kumbaga tinatakot lang ang ating mga mangingisdang Pilipino for them to be threatened intimidated to continue their fishing,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Napakadelikado nito as what I mentioned tatlong mangingisdang Pilipino ang nabigyan namin ng pangunang lunas sa aming coast guard vesssel. Secondly ang pinakadelikado dito is ang kaligtasan ng ating mangingisda dahil ang sinasakyan nila this isang indigenous wooden boat so try to imagine itong mga bangka na gamit nila na pangisda ay gawa lamang sa kahoy and you can saw from the video very powerful ang blast ng water na lumabas sa water cannon nila. Theres a possibility na lumubog ito, there&#x27;s a possibility na ang wooden part ng bangka na tumalsik sa ating mangingisdang Pilipino,&quot; he added. </p><p>Aside from the China coast guard vessels  with bow number 21559 and 21562, Chinese maritime militia vessels also harassed the Filipino fishermen by executing dangerous blocking maneuvers.</p><p> A  CCG vessel with bow number 23519  also approached within 35 yards  a PCG vessel during nighttime navigation, Tarriela said.</p><p>&quot;They came as close as 35 yards to block the PCG in proceeding to the location of the Filipino fishermen,&quot; he added. </p><p>Tarriela said the harassment lasted for more than 3 hours.</p><p> It was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in the contested waterway, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.</p><p> The PCG has deployed vessels providing assistance to the affected Filipinos, including fuel, ice and food to sustain their fishing activities.  </p><p> They also stressed that the Filipino fishermen were &quot;operating lawfully in the area&quot; when they were subjected to harassment by the Chinese vessels. </p><p>“Currently, MRRV-4403 and MRRV-4411, in coordination with the vessel MV Pamalakaya, are maintaining close proximity to the group of Filipino fishermen to ensure their security and safety,” it said.</p><p> But before this, the Philippine vessels had also encountered repeated blocking and dangerous maneuvers from three Chinese vessels en route to the fishermen.</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;CONTROL MEASURES&#x27;</strong></div><p> In a statement released Saturday, the China Coast Guard claimed it had taken &quot;necessary control measures against the Philippine vessels … including issuing warnings via loudspeaker and conducting external maneuvering to drive them away&quot;. </p><p>Video released by the Philippine side showed water cannon blasts crashing over the small fishing boats. Commodore Jay Tarriela told AFP the high-powered streams had &quot;destroyed wooden structures&quot; on the vessels. </p><p>The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.</p><p> In October, the Philippines accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming one of its government vessels in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has sought to assert its sovereignty claims for years. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident.</p><p> A month earlier, one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of another fisheries bureau vessel near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.</p><div> </div><div><strong>LAWMAKERS CONDEMN ATTACK</strong></div><p> Several lawmakers from the House of Representatives denounced the dangerous and unlawful use of high-pressure water cannons by the China coast guard against the Filipino fishermen.</p><p> House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun, Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, and Rep. Ernix Dionisio released a joint statement blasting CCG&#x27;s &quot;reckless aggression.&quot; </p><p>&quot;We express our deepest concern and solidarity with the wounded and bruised Filipino fishermen. Their courage in pursuing their traditional fishing grounds despite such threats embodies the resilience of the Filipino people. We pray for their swift recovery and stand ready to support any necessary assistance,&quot; they said in a statement.</p><p>&quot;At the same time, we commend and thank the Philippine Coast Guard for their unwavering professionalism and dedication. Despite repeated blocking maneuvers by Chinese vessels, the PCG successfully reached the affected fishermen, provided immediate medical attention to the injured, and delivered essential supplies.&quot;</p><p>They said that the provocative actions by the CCG violate international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which unequivocally affirm the Philippines&#x27; sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.</p><p> &quot;These incidents undermine regional peace and stability and cannot be tolerated,&quot; said the lawmakers. <strong>-- with a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4sEYxwfw9AM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div>

<p>Chinese vessels targeted 20 Filipino fishing boats in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday, Dec. 12, the Philippine Coast Guard said.</p>

Chinese vessels targeted 20 Filipino fishing boats in the West Philippine Sea on Saturday, Dec. 12, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

3 Filipino fishermen injured in Chinese ships' water cannon attack

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3 Filipino fishermen injured in Chinese ships' water cannon attack

Marilyn Cahatol,

Jose Carretero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 13, 2025 02:35 PM PHT

|

Updated Dec 13, 2025 08:18 PM PHT

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West Philippine Sea

China

Philippine Coast Guard

Fishermen

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