AGAD umani ng pagkondena mula sa iba’t ibang bansa ang panibagong provocative action ng China sa West Philippine na ikinasugat ng dalawang tauhan ng Philippine Navy na nakatalaga sa BRP Sierra Madre sa Ayungin Shoal noong Lunes ng umaga.

Una nang kinondena ng Washington ang tinawag nilang “dangerous and aggressive” action ng China at sinisi ang mga tauhan nila sa pananakit sa dalawang Filipino sailor, ilang metro lamang ang layo sa nakasadsad na Navy detachment, ang BRP Sierra Madre, sa disputed South China Sea.

Ayon sa ulat, dalawang sundalo ang nasugatan, isa rito ay kinailangang malapatan ng agarang medical attention sanhi ng pinsala sa ulo nang paluin ng baton ng mga tauhan ng China Coast Guard vessel CCGV 21560.

“The United States condemns China’s dangerous and aggressive actions against Philippine navy personnel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on July 20, 2026, and calls on China to immediately cease its destabilizing conduct,” ani State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.

“China’s troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” dagdag pa ni Pigott.

Kinondena rin ni US Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton ang umano’y “escalatory actions” ng China.

“China’s actions in the South China Sea threaten regional stability and stand in sharp contrast to Philippine forces’ professionalism and discipline. We join the Philippines’ call for China’s Navy, Coast Guard, and maritime militia to stop their illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions in the South China Sea,” dagdag pa ni Lipton.

Ang nasabing pahayag ay lumabas kasabay sa pagdating ni Secretary of State Marco Rubio sa Manila para dumalo sa Foreign Ministers’ Talks kasama ang Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Inihayag din ni Rubio na bukas siya sa posibleng sideline meeting kay China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.

Una rito, may isang PH Navy officer ang naputulan ng daliri nang salpukin ng China vessel ang rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) ng Phil. Navy noong Hunyo 17, 2024 sa naitalang China ramming incident sa Ayungin.

Inakusahan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines ang China Coast Guard ng paghataw sa Filipino sailors gamit ang isang mahabang baton nang tangkain nilang itaboy papalayo sa BRP Sierra Madre ang RHIB ng China Coast Guard na may sakay na walong katao.

“The CCGV personnel reacted violently and aggressively by striking a Philippine Navy personnel on the head with a wooden baton, causing injury and damaging the Navy rubber boat operating within the area where our country enjoys sovereign rights under international law,” ayon sa inilabas na statement ng DND at AFP.

Nabatid na inikut-ikutan ng Chinese boat at kinunan ng video at mga larawan ang BRP Sierra Madre, na nasa flashpoint ng Second Thomas Shoal sa Spratly archipelago.

Naganap ang komprontasyon nang atasan ang dalawang rubber boats para itaboy ang grupo ng Chinese Coast Guard na lubhang malapit sa BRP Sierra Madre.

“The latest act of violence and harassment committed by the China Coast Guard against Philippine Navy personnel stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal adds to a clear pattern of provocative and hostile behavior, and further contributes to the People’s Republic of China’s deficit of trust and credibility,” ayon pa sa DND.

“Against the backdrop of the PRC’s circumvention of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and disregard of the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Ruling on the South China Sea, their actions further justify the Department’s position of disengagement—we simply cannot trust this belligerent neighbor,” ayon sa AFP at DND.

(JESSE RUIZ)