Phl won't fire 1st shot vs China coast guard

There's no way the "barbaric" Chinese can provoke Filipinos into firing the first shot that could ignite a deadly confrontation at sea or worse, Philippine Navy spokesman Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said yesterday.

- MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

In an interview with reporters, Trinidad said China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel behaved like pirates and barbarians when they disrupted a resupply mission for troops on BRP Sierra Madre through dangerous high-speed ramming attacks and use of bladed weapons, apparently in a bid to provoke the Filipinos into fighting back.

The Chinese even forcibly boarded Philippine boats, leaving several Filipinos injured during a scuffle.

Trinidad said that while the CCG had missile boats, the Chinese apparently did not intend to not use them because they "would like to push us to fire the first shot, yun ang labanan diyan (that's how they do things there)."

He said the military is now back to the drawing board to prepare for another rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the Ayungin Shoal, still mindful of China's scheme to push the Philippines to make the mistake of firing the first shot.

The Navy spokesman said the Chinese also stole seven high-powered firearms, punctured the rigid haul inflatable boats of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, stole personal cellular phones, smashed communications equipment, and destroyed overboard motors.

"What they did was piracy, pambabastos, panggagago, barbaric. I call them a band of barbarians and in the first place they have no right to wear the uniform," Trinidad said.

"Coast guard men are supposed to be responsible for safety of life at sea. Their actions endanger life at sea. It does not speak well of a country that want to be a global power," he said.

Trinidad said other countries that had witnessed or become aware of the June 17 incident should now be very careful with dealing with China as the Chinese would not hesitate to commit barbarity against other nationalities.