MANILA (UPDATED) — The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on Saturday reiterated Malacañang’s position on China’s recent aggression against Philippine forces in Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal, saying the incident was not enough to be considered as an armed attack.

The Philippine Coast Guard’s Commodore Jay Tarriela, who temporarily serves as spokesperson of the NTF-WPS, believes China did not intend to escalate the tension in the waters as it was merely blocking Filipino sailors’ access to the BRP Sierra Madre on the reef.

READ: Knives, looting, severed thumb: Philippines details fresh confrontation with China in Ayungin

“Ang intensyon ng Philippine government is to do the resupply operation last Monday; ang objective ng China ay harangin ang resupply operation. That’s how simple we should look at the last incident," Tarriela told reporters in a briefing. 

(The intention of the Philippine government was to do the resupply operation last Monday. China's objective was to block the resupply operation.)

"This is not an armed attack or a provocation for us to say na ang China ay talagang gusto pataasin ang tensyon dito. Basically, ito ay harangan lang."

(This is not an armed attack or a provocation to say that China is really trying to escalate tension. Basically, it was an attempt to block us.)

The Department of Foreign Affairs had earlier called on China "to act sincerely and responsibly, and refrain from behavior that puts to risk the safety of personnel and vessels." 

The US and the Philippines' other security partners also called out Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea as aggressive and dangerous. 

Ayungin incident

Earlier this week, the Philippines alleged the China Coast Guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats in a violent confrontation in which a Filipino sailor lost a finger.

Footage released by the Philippine military late Wednesday showed small boats crewed by Chinese sailors shouting, waving knives and using sticks to hit an inflatable boat as a siren blared.

Tarriela believes the injury to a Filipino navy personnel during the confrontation was just an accident.

“Makita naman natin, itong mga dala-dala nila na ‘to (weapons), hindi ito ginamit para saktan ang ating sundalo. Ginamit lang ‘to para butasin ang RHIB ng ating sundalo,” he said.

(We say that the weapons they brought,,, these were not used to hurt our troops. They only used them to damage the RHIB)

READ: China's latest aggression vs PH not considered armed attack — Palace

'Probably a misunderstanding or an accident'

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday said the recent confrontation was “probably a misunderstanding or an accident,” adding the government is not considering invoking the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States.

Often mentioned as a deterrent to armed attack against the Philippines and against the US, the MDT has never been invoked and Philippine officials over the years have raised doubts on what will happen if it is invoked.

“This was probably a misunderstanding or an accident. We are not yet ready to consider this as an armed attack,” Bersamin said in a press conference.

“‘Yung mga nakita natin ay bolo, mga axe. Nothing beyond that,” he added.

Tarriela said the resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre will continue, but the country will not seek foreign actors' support, saying the uniformed services are capable of conducting and completing the resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea.

"Ito po ay isang lehitimo at ordinaryong operasyon na ginagawa natin (These operations are legitimate and ordinary) and right now we don’t see any reason that we will be requesting any foreign actors to support our ordinary and routine resupply mission,” he said.

READ: US to stand by Philippines amid China's 'provocative' actions — Pentagon

'Not all incidents are acts of war'

For his part, maritime law expert Prof. Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said it is premature for the Manila to declare Beijing’s recent aggression an act of war that warrants self-defense.

He said the Philippines is doing a deliberate effort to still seek a diplomatic and peaceful resolution to the dispute.

“Not every unlawful act of a state is necessarily what we call an act of war. In international law, there are rules and jurisprudence on this issue, particularly in International Humanitarian Law and Laws of Armed Conflict. Incidents such as geographically isolated skirmishes, these are not yet enough to be considered an armed attack that warrants an engagement in self-defense.” he said.

“It is not easy for the Philippines to just simply react to every incident as if it is an act of war and warrants serious hostilities. Kalma lang, keri lang,” Batongbacal added.

National democratic activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, which opposes US presence in the Philippines but also condemns China's aggression in Philippine waters, said the most immediate need is to make sure Filipino fishers keep their livelihoods.

"In the immediate, the Philippines should exercise its sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone and protect Filipino fishermen first and foremost because their livelihoods are threatened," BAYAN president Renato Reyes said.

He added the group is calling for diplomatic dialogue as well as the removal of Chinese and US military assets from the area to de-escalate the situation.

"Right now, the US has used the Philippines as a forward base for its intervention in the region. China meanwhile claims 90% of the South China Sea, in clear violation of international law and the rulings of the Permanent Court of Arbitration," he added, referring to the 2016 arbitral ruling that China continues to reject.

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