MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has cast doubt on its Chinese counterpart's "real identity" as a coast guard unit for conducting dangerous maneuvers in the West Philippine Sea instead of ensuring maritime safety and saving lives.

In a statement, PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan said actions by Chinese Coast Guard vessels "do not align with the universally accepted behavior of a coast guard."

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Chinese vessels attempted to block a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal this week, just weeks after similarly dangerous maneuvers caused collisions with Philippine vessels, including the coast guard's BRP Cabra.

"They are supposed to ensure safety of life at sea, but they are the one that deliberately violate the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 that the People’s Republic of China is also a signatory state," Gavan said.

The COLREGs are a set of rules on maintaining safe speed, keeping look-outs, and on steering to minimize the risk of collisions at sea.

Gavin said the Chinese vessels' actions "[put] into question and significant doubt their narrative of law enforcement and their real identity as a coast guard organization."

WATER CANNON USE

His statement came after the PCG accused China of firing water cannons at civilian craft contracted by the Philippine military for the resupply mission.

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In August, Chinese vessels also used water cannons against PCG ships to try to deter a similar resupply mission.

Gavin stressed that the PCG has acted responsibly, consistent with international law, despite all these incident."

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"Our PCG skippers made sure that despite the reckless deployment of the CCG, we can still be able to prevent from collision happening," he said.

"Despite their provocative actions of deliberately preventing our vessels from completing the mission, the PCG has maintained their professional behavior and ensure that our firm resolve will not be triggered to escalate the tension," he added.

A handful of Filipino troops are stationed on the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre, which the Philippine Navy grounded on the reef in 1999 to check China's advance in the waters.

The troops depend on the resupply missions for their survival.

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China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually, and has ignored a 2016 international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

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Over the past decade or so, Beijing has deployed vessels to patrol the waters, swarm reefs and built artificial islands that it has militarized to reinforce its stance.

— Job Manahan, ABS-CBN with a report from Agence France-Presse

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