The BRP Datu Magat Salamat may require around P1.4 million in repairs after its collision with a China Coast Guard vessel in the West Philippine Sea on 18 September, according to civic leader Dr. Jose Goitia.

Goitia said the initial estimate covers damage to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel's railings, metal supports and deck equipment.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said China Coast Guard vessel CCG-21585 deliberately struck the BRP Datu Magat Salamat while the Philippine vessel was delivering fuel assistance to Filipino fishermen about 54 nautical miles off Palawan. The collision damaged railings, support structures and deck fixtures on the vessel's starboard side. 

China has disputed Manila's account and blamed the Philippine vessel for the collision. 

New Zealand, meanwhile, expressed concern over the incident and called for disputes in the South China Sea to be resolved peacefully in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Goitia, who heads several civic organizations, said the cost of repairing the vessel was only one consequence of the incident.

"The repair cost is only the immediate consequence," Goitia told the DAILY TRIBUNE. "What should concern every Filipino is that our people are being put at risk simply for exercising lawful rights in our own waters."

He said the Philippines should remain vigilant amid continued tensions in the West Philippine Sea, but acknowledged that reports of a supposed 15-year Chinese strategy and plans for another military installation at Bajo de Masinloc have not been publicly confirmed by Philippine authorities.

"We cannot wait for China to announce its intentions before we prepare," Goitia said. "We have to look at what is already happening. If this is part of a longer-term effort to expand control, the Philippines has to stand firm."

Goitia also stressed that Filipino fishermen and government vessels should be able to operate without intimidation.

"We will not surrender our rights in our own waters simply because another country chooses to apply pressure," he said. "Our fishermen have the right to fish. Our vessels have the right to operate here. That's what we're defending."

"The BRP Datu Magat Salamat can be repaired. What's harder to repair is the precedent: that Filipino vessels and fishermen should have to absorb this kind of risk simply for working in their own waters," he added.