A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) official seconded a recent statement from Malacañang that the recent aggression of China’s coastguard that left seven Filipino servicemen injured could not be considered an armed attack. According to PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, the June 17 incident should not be viewed as an armed attack, even if CCG officials were recorded brandishing bladed weapons at Filipino troops. “On the part of the People’s Republic of China, ang intention naman talaga rito is to prevent the resupply mission from being successful. So there is no reason na interpret natin ito that this is an armed attack,” Tarriela said in a forum on Saturday.

Co, A. S. (2024, June 24). PCG, Palace: China aggression not ‘armed attack’. Panay News, pp. 11, 15.