Manila: As long as China continues its "illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive" (ICAD) actions, there will be more collisions and mishaps in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said Tuesday. "From the onset of the illegal presence of the PLA (People's Liberation Army) Navy, their ICAD messaging has been the cause of concern," PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

According to Philippines News Agency, Trinidad emphasized that as long as China maintains its ICAD activities and presence in the WPS, incidents like the recent collision between two Chinese vessels - China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 3104 and PLAN warship 164 - in Bajo de Masinloc are likely to occur again. The incident took place while CCG vessel 3104 was pursuing the Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Suluan, which, along with other Philippine vessels, was attempting to supply Filipino fishermen in the area.

Trinidad noted that this is not the first time a PLAN warship has been involved in harassing Filipino vessels in the WPS. "The Chinese warships of the PLAN have been conducting coercive and aggressive actions in the WPS for the past 20 or so years," he stated. "It is not the first time a PLAN warship has been monitored conducting this type of illegal actions."

Despite these tensions, Trinidad assured that all actions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will adhere to international law. He highlighted that the recent incident should serve as a warning for all maritime players to exercise restraint and ensure their actions comply with international agreements such as UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), COLREGS (Collision Regulations), and CUES (Conduct of Unplanned Encounters At Sea).