[Aaron-Matthew Lariosa] VIDEO: China Coast Guard Blasts Fishermen With Water Cannon Near Sabina Shoal, Philippines Dispatches Patrol Boats

The Philippine patrol boats reached Sabina Shoal on Saturday morning to render medical assistance and supply provisions to the fishing boat flotilla. Three Philippine fishermen were photographed by the agency receiving medical treatment aboard Malapascua. The fishing support vessel MV Pamalakaya was on scene to further extend the operating time of the fishermen under the Philippines’ Kadiwa fishing initiative, officials said. The effort aims to incentivize increased fishing activity in the South China Sea.

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The recent incident near Sabina also occurred shortly after a South China Sea joint patrol between U.S. and Philippine forces and several carrier strike group deployments to the region. Despite these shows of international support during maritime cooperative activities, Chinese actions against the Philippines have persisted across Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Related:

[Bloomberg L.P. reprint] China Injured Filipino Fishermen in Contested Sea, Manila Says

Beijing continues to assert expansive claims over the South China Sea, a strategic and resource-rich waterway, despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that invalidated those efforts. The region is believed to hold vast oil and gas reserves, and trillions of dollars in global trade travel through the area each year.

[Al-Monitor] China says it expelled Philippine aircraft, vessels near disputed atolls

Twitter: PCG Spokesman Jay Tarriela (archived)

Currently, MRRV-4403 and MRRV-4411, in coordination with the vessel MV Pamalakaya, are maintaining close proximity to the group of Filipino fishermen to ensure their security and safety. Fuel, ice, and food provisions have been distributed to sustain their ongoing fishing activities, in line with the government’s Kadiwa para sa Bagong Bayaning Mangingisda (KBBM) initiative.

[China Daily] China Coast Guard drives away Philippine vessels over ‘provocative actions’

[Global Times] PLA monitors, warns and expels unauthorized Philippine aircraft over China’s Huangyan Dao: spokesperson

Previously:

KBBM: The August 11 SCS Incident & US-Backed Fisherfolk Collectives in the Philippines

Updated: The War of Ideas in the Indo-Pacific

What’s Really Going On In the South China Sea Between the Philippines and China

[Aaron-Matthew Lariosa] PH: Lariosa