(BUSINESS MIRROR) The Senate defense panel chairman on Monday assailed the China Coast Guard’s latest stunt after its boats conducted reckless maneuvers that put in peril the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Cabra.
The incident “once again put the lives of Filipino maritime personnel at risk, [and] displayed a blatant disregard for maritime safety and international norms. This reckless behavior is deeply concerning and warrants unequivocal condemnation,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada in a statement.
He urged the government to “take decisive action by bringing this matter before the International Maritime Organization (IMO),” adding that “the incident—an attempted head-on collision with the smaller BRP Cabra of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)—was a clear violation of the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), to which China is a signatory.”
By addressing China’s “unending reckless and dangerous maneuvers against our maritime vessels, we can highlight the gravity of the situation which continues to threaten peace and security in the region,” continued the senator.
“Paulit-ulit man ang kanilang panggigipit, hindi tayo mananawa na i-call out sila at ipaglaban ang ating karapatan sa ating nasasakupan, soberanya at kapakanan ng magigiting nating kababayan [No matter how many times they harass us, we will not tire of calling them out and asserting our rights, sovereignty and the welfare of every Filipino],” Estrada added.
Over the weekend, Estrada presided as chair during Saturday’s Asean+3 meeting, in the ongoing 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The meeting served as a platform for dialogue and cooperation among the parliaments of Asean member states and their three dialogue partners—China, Japan, and South Korea—to foster regional collaboration, address shared challenges, and promote sustainable development, peace, and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Also at the meeting, Estrada sought support for the Philippines’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, aiming to represent Southeast Asia and smaller nations on security concerns and global cooperation.