Navy says PH won't fire first bullet against China Coast Guard | INQToday

The Philippine Navy says it will not fire the first bullet against China Coast Guard amid the tensions in the West Philippine Sea. In an interview, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Roy Vincent Trindad says Navy personnel have been instructed that use of force for accomplishment of mission is not authorized unless in self defence. When asked about what could happen if the country fired the first shot against China Coast Guard, Trinidad says he does not want to speculate, stressing that they have been putting a lot of effort into avoiding such situation. On June 17, Ebola wielding China Coast Guard personnel rammed, towed and even boarded the Philippine vessels during a resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre in a young Shoal, a move which it's spokesperson Don Yu only deemed as control measures. The incident resulted in 8th Philippine Navy personnel sustaining minor injuries, including one Navy personnel who had his thumb severed. Trinidad further says China Coast Guard has no right to wear the Coast Guard uniform calling them a band of Barbarians because of their actions that endanger lives at sea. He reiterates that Coast guards are supposed to be responsible for the safety of life at sea. Manila's regular resupply mission in the VRP, Sierra Madre, became one of the flash points of tension in the West Philippine Sea, and the latest mission saw the most violent actions from Beijing thus far. Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, rejecting a 2016 international tribunal ruling that effectively validated its claims while ruling heavily in favour of Manila.