The United States, through its Embassy in the Philippines, along with several civic-oriented organizations, again condemned China’s recent aggression at Sabina (Escoda) Shoal in the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea over the weekend, which left Filipino fishermen injured after the China Coast Guard (CCG) allegedly targeted them with water cannons.

“China Coast Guard’s aggressive tactics—water cannoning and cutting anchor lines—against Filipino fishers at Sabina Shoal threaten lives and livelihoods. We strongly condemn these illegal actions and applaud the Philippine Coast Guard for aiding fishers and defending Philippine sovereign rights,” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said on her X (formerly Twitter) account Sunday night.

Three of the 20 fishermen harassed by Chinese forces were injured after the CCG fired water cannons to drive them away from Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, according to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela.

Senate Deputy Majority Leader Risa Hontiveros also strongly denounced what she described as China’s relentless aggression against Philippine fisherfolk.

Meanwhile, Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI), and the Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement said the injury of three Filipino fishermen and damage to two small fishing boats near Escoda Shoal could no longer be considered routine harassment in the West Philippine Sea.

“It is a direct and intentional attack on peaceful Filipino civilians operating lawfully within their own waters. Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels used high-pressure water cannons and aggressive maneuvers against small, unarmed fishing boats. These men were not combatants. They posed no threat. They were unarmed civilians fishing lawfully in waters long relied upon by Filipino communities. What occurred was not an accident. It was a deliberate act,” the group’s Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia said.

He added that the incident must be called what it is—an act of war.

“When a state deliberately injures peaceful civilians in their own territory, that is already an act of war,” Goitia said. “Our fishermen were targeted on purpose. That crosses every line.”

He stressed that the use of force against non-combatants strips away any claim of law enforcement or maritime regulation.

“This is no longer posturing,” he added. “This is violence against Filipinos whose only act was to earn a living in their own sea.”

Goitia said the PCG’s immediate response reflected the state’s responsibility to protect Filipinos operating lawfully within the country’s maritime domain.

“Our armed forces and Coast Guard exist precisely to ensure that Filipinos are protected in their own territory,” he said. “The protection of civilians is a core duty of the state.”