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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
December 17, 2025 | 12:00am
A China Coast Guard ship (R) sailing past a Philippine fishing boat with volunteers from the civilian-led mission Atin Ito (This Is Ours) Coalition on board, in the disputed South China Sea on May 16, 2024. A Philippine boat convoy bearing supplies for Filipino fishers said they were headed back to port May 16, ditching plans to sail to a Beijing-held reef off the Southeast Asian country after one of their boats was "constantly shadowed" by a Chinese vessel.
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. has slammed China’s latest acts of aggression near Escoda Shoal and denounced Beijing’s foreign ministry for spreading lies to justify the China Coast Guard’s water cannon attack on Filipino fishermen.
“The Department of National Defense strongly denounces the dangerous and inhumane actions taken by Chinese maritime forces against Filipino fishers in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal,” Teodoro said yesterday, while accusing the Chinese foreign ministry of lying when it claimed the Filipino fishermen were armed with knives and were aggressive.
“China’s claims of indisputable sovereignty over the feature are illegal and unfounded as neither an international tribunal nor international law-abiding State has ever recognized Chinese sovereignty over Escoda Shoal,” he added.
Teodoro stressed that the use of water cannons, aggressive maneuvering, and the cutting of anchor lines resulting in injuries to Filipino civilians “are wholly inconsistent with the duty of all States to ensure the safety of human lives.”
He reiterated that the Philippines’ maritime entitlements in the West Philippine Sea are grounded on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 final and binding Arbitral Award invalidating China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.
“Claims and actions that disregard these legal principles undermine the rules-based international order and erode regional peace and stability,” he emphasized.
Teodoro said states aspiring for regional leadership should act responsibly as he called on China to stop spreading false narratives and engaging in what he described as state-orchestrated disinformation campaign.
“The attempt by the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to justify these actions by invoking ‘indisputable sovereignty’ and peddling blatant lies like ‘knife-wielding’ fishermen are not supported by facts and evidence,” Teodoro pointed out.
The DND chief said the Philippines likewise rejects Beijing’s assertion that other nations – particularly the United States – have no right to comment on China’s repeated claims as they are no party to the issue.
“The international community has a legitimate interest in upholding international law, freedom of navigation, and the safety of civilians at sea, particularly when coercive acts threaten stability in a vital international waterway. Unlike China, we in the Philippines don’t silence dissent with violence and intimidation,” he said.
