MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reiterated the paramount importance of professional actions at sea after China’s admission that two of its personnel died during the collision of its Navy warship and a China Coast Guard (CCG) cutter near Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last year.
Recently, Chinese officials appear to have acknowledged the collision between two of its maritime forces when the People's Armed Police Force - the parent institution of the China Coast Guard, said that it recognizes four servicemembers as "liesh" or "martyrs."
The honorary title is awarded to Chinese citizens who lose their lives in the furtherance of national interests.
In a brief statement, the department said that China Coast Guard servicemembers Yi Xinyu, 21, and Cheng Long, 25, had lost their lives on August 11, 2025, "while participating in a frontline rights defense operation in the South China Sea."
The date in the notice corresponds with the date of the collision.
“In the conduct of AFP operations, mission accomplishment and safety of the men and women involved are always paramount. It is for these reasons that all our actions have to be professional, have to be within established protocols and backed up by international law,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the WPS told reporters in a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.
“We reiterate that unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers at sea increase the risk of accidents and endanger lives,” he added.
Asked of his take on the Chinese servicemen’s tagging as “martyrs”, Trinidad reiterated that such actions, that caused two lives, were practically the reasons why “all actions by any seafaring nation would have to be professional and within bounds of established protocols and backed up by international law.”
The incident happened when a CCG vessel collided with a People's Liberation Army Navy warship while pursuing the PCG's BRP Suluan near Bajo de Masinloc.
At the time, Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the WPS, said the CCG vessel was pursuing the Philippine ship at high speed when it made a risky maneuver that resulted in the collision.
While Beijing acknowledged the confrontation, it did not report any deaths or injuries.
The Philippines and China have repeatedly faced confrontations in the South China Sea, particularly around disputed maritime features and waters within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
