A video circulating on YouTube and Facebook claims Philippine vessels fired warning shots against two Chinese naval ships as they approached Subic Bay on Oct. 20. There is no evidence to support this claim.
“Kumaripas Ng takbo! Chinese navy pinaputukan ng pinas matapos agresibong lumapit sa subic (Scampered away! Chinese Navy fired upon after aggressively approaching Subic), the video’s title claimed.
This has no basis. There are no reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Navy, or the media about such an incident.
The video appeared five days after Chinese cruise ships docked at Subic Bay after a three-year hiatus.
On Oct. 10, the Chinese Coast Guard claimed to have expelled a Philippine naval gunboat patrolling in Scarborough Shoal. AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the claim was false, calling it “Beijing’s propaganda.”
The latest skirmish between Chinese and Philippine ships happened on Oct. 22 in Ayungin Shoal, during another resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre. A Chinese Coast Guard vessel collided with a local supply boat, and a Chinese maritime militia vessel struck a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel, according to PCG spokesperson Jay Tarriela.
Posted by YouTube channel Terong Explained (created on Oct. 6, 2015) and re-uploaded by an FB netizen, the video has garnered a total of 171,215 interactions.
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