This frame grab from handout video footage taken and released on April 30, 2024 by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows the Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Bagacay (C) being hit by water cannon from Chinese coast guard vessels near the chinese-controlled Scarborough shoal in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The Philippines said the China Coast Guard fired water cannon on April 30 at two of its vessels, causing damage to one of them, during a patrol near a reef off the Southeast Asian country. Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship that was directly hit by a China Coast Guard (CCG) water cannon sustained over P2 million in damages.
PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo made this confirmation on Thursday, citing the assessment of the captain of BRP Bacagay.
“The damage in the ship is alarming due to the strong pressure of water,” Balilo told INQUIRER.net in a text message.
READ: China water cannons 2 PH vessels in Scarborough Shoal anew
On Tuesday, CCG vessels blasted water cannons against PCG’s BRP Bagacay and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw, causing significant damage.
The ships’ communication and navigation systems were also hit in the attack.
READ: China used ‘very fatal’ water cannon pressure in latest assault — PCG
According to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, BRP Bagacay, which also suffered a direct hit from CCG’s water cannon, sustained damage to its railing and canopy.
Tarriela pointed out that this is the first time the CCG directly hit a PCG vessel, deeming the recent incident as an escalation.
“This is the first time that we can say that the Coast Guard vessel has been subjected to a direct water cannon with that kind of pressure that even resulted in structural damage,” Tarriela said in a press conference on Wednesday.