On Sunday, October 12, 2025, tensions in the South China Sea reached a new high as a Chinese Coast Guard ship deliberately rammed the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, within the Kalayaan Island Group. The attack, which also involved the use of water cannons, caused structural damage to the Philippine vessel and endangered Filipino personnel conducting humanitarian operations—an incident that has drawn widespread condemnation and escalated an already volatile situation in the region.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), this was the closest encounter yet between Chinese maritime forces and Philippine government vessels within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and, crucially, inside its territorial waters. Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, explained at a news briefing, "This is the closest that the Chinese Coast Guard harassed and bullied a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel. It only has a distance of 1.6 to 1.8 nautical miles." He added, "It’s always been very concerning because we are dealing with the lives of the crew of the BFAR or even the Philippine Coast Guard personnel."
The incident unfolded as six BFAR vessels were delivering aid—fuel, food packs, and ice—to Filipino fishermen operating near disputed maritime features. The Philippine Coast Guard, which did not have a ship at Pag-asa during the attack, noted that Coast Guard crew were nevertheless aboard the BFAR vessels. More than 20 Chinese vessels, including five China Coast Guard ships, 15 maritime militia vessels, a warship, and a military helicopter, surrounded the area, underscoring the scale and intensity of the confrontation. Three BFAR vessels—BRP Datu Bankaw, BRP Datu Sanday, and the most heavily damaged BRP Datu Pagbuaya—were hit by water cannons, with the latter also rammed in the stern by a Chinese vessel.
Photos and videos released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed a China Coast Guard vessel with its water cannon activated, shadowing the Philippine ship. The Coast Guard said, "Despite these bullying tactics and aggressive actions... we will not be intimidated or driven away." The National Maritime Council announced that the Philippines would file a diplomatic protest in response to what it called "aggressive and illegal actions of China." Angelica Escalona, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, confirmed to reporters that a formal protest would be lodged, emphasizing the government’s commitment to defending its sovereignty.
China, for its part, disputed Manila’s account. A spokesperson for the China Coast Guard claimed that Philippine vessels had "illegally entered waters near the iron reefs of what they refer to as Nansha Islands," and that their vessels had taken "necessary control measures" after the Philippine ships "ignored repeated stern warnings." Liu Dejun, a spokesman for the Chinese Coast Guard, asserted, "Full responsibility lies with the Philippine side." China’s Foreign Ministry echoed these sentiments, urging the Philippines to cease what it called "violations and provocations."
This latest incident is not an isolated case. Less than a month earlier, a similar ramming and water cannon attack occurred in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), where a BFAR vessel suffered damage and a crew member was injured. In early October, Chinese vessels disrupted BFAR resupply operations, fired water cannons, and rammed Philippine ships near other disputed features, coinciding with heightened Chinese military activities and patrols in the contested waters. The Philippine Coast Guard reported monitoring 15 Chinese maritime militia vessels and a People’s Liberation Army-Navy warship near the site of the October 12 ramming.
Senator Francis Pangilinan did not mince words in his condemnation, describing the attack as "a brazen act of aggression." He declared, "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the illegal and reckless actions of the China Coast Guard and its maritime militia on October 12, 2025, off Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea. It was a deliberate assault on our sovereignty and on the Filipino people." Pangilinan vowed to push for greater resources for the Coast Guard and BFAR, urging Filipinos to "remain vigilant and united," and reaffirming, "The West Philippine Sea is ours—by law, by right, and by the unwavering spirit of a people who refuse to be cowed."
International reaction was swift. Countries including Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and the European Union expressed support for the Philippines, while maritime security expert Ray Powell called on American senators to visit Pag-asa Island as a show of solidarity. The Stratbase ADR Institute, a Manila-based think tank, characterized the growing frequency and intensity of these incidents as "deeply alarming." The institute stated, "Taken together, they demonstrate a dangerous and escalating pattern of aggression," and urged the Philippine government to deepen security partnerships and modernize its defense and coast guard capabilities to strengthen deterrence. "Beijing’s behavior should not and cannot be normalized or tolerated," the institute concluded, calling for "firm, coordinated, and decisive measures to end this pattern of coercion."
The backdrop to these confrontations is China’s expansive claim to nearly the entire South China Sea, based on a U-shaped nine-dash line drawn in the 1940s. This claim overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other neighbors, despite a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China’s assertions. The Philippines maintains a military outpost and a civilian settlement on Pag-asa Island, the largest of its occupied islands in the Spratlys, which lies just 12 nautical miles from China’s air and naval base at Subi Reef.
In response to the mounting pressure, the Philippine government has recalibrated its South China Sea strategy. The Marcos administration has deepened security ties with allies, launched missions to support fishers in contested waters, and pursued upgrades to the country’s aging fleet. The PCG and BFAR have continued humanitarian and resupply missions, even as Chinese vessels attempt to block or intimidate them. The PCG recently deployed its largest multi-role ships, BRP Teresa Magbanua and BRP Melchora Aquino, along with patrol ships, to support BFAR vessels distributing aid at Scarborough and Sabina shoals—both flashpoints in the ongoing maritime dispute.
As the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed on October 7, "The Philippines will continue to remain vigilant against attempts to misinform the general public. It will continue to assert and preserve its territorial integrity, and strongly uphold its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law."
With each new incident, the stakes rise—not just for the Philippines and China, but for the entire region and the global community that depends on the South China Sea’s busy maritime trade routes. The question now is whether diplomatic protests and international support will be enough to deter further escalation, or if the cycle of confrontation will continue to spiral, testing the resolve of all involved.