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Senators on Saturday condemned the latest attempt of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) to block a resupply mission of the Philippines to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda described the CCG’s behavior as a “latest act of intimidation.”
The National Task Force-West Philippine Sea reported that CCG fired water cannon at a Philippine boat and blocked Philippine Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea on Friday, November 10, in a bid to stop the resupply mission.
“Contrary to the claim of the Chinese, the Philippine vessels and troops are not trespassing the area,” she pointed out, emphasizing that China’s “flawed nine-dash-line” has long been deemed false by the July 2016 Arbitral Award.
Legarda also stressed that the Philippines’ actions have been consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Award and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
