Jonathan Malaya, a representative of the Philippines National Security Council, condemned the latest action by the China Coast Guard (CCG) against local Philippine fishermen in a televised interview on Monday night.

Malaya was referring to the January 12th incident, where the CCG harassed fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal area after collecting seashells along the shoreline, according to a Facebook post by a local witness. He further alleged that the CCG demanded that they return the seashells before driving them away from the Scarborough Shoal area.

The Philippines and China have had altercations over this area in the past. In 2023, for example, China removed a floating barrier erected by the Philippines and deployed its Coast Guard near the Julian Felipe Reef. There has been previous court involvement in this dispute. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines regarding the disputed areas in the South China Sea, otherwise known as the West Philippines Sea, by those in the Philippines. The PCA stated that China did not have the right to exclude others’ access to these areas or to claim the entirety of it for itself.

In response, China declared that it would ignore the arbitration’s court decision because it did not recognize its jurisdiction or authority in such matters. The Philippines has made agreements with the US for them to extend their military presence in the country in case China attempts to overstep their bounds and further escalate the dispute.

Commodore Jay Tariela, a Philippines Coastguard Spokesperson, pronounced that the Filipino people were being denied their right to enjoy the abundant resources of the shoal by the Chinese in violation of its arbitration award.