Leaked intel led to China ramming of PCG ship at Escoda Shoal, says AFPMANILA, Philippines — A Filipino national recruited into an alleged Chinese spy network passed information that led to the harassment of a Philippine vessel at Escoda Shoal, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. "Based on the information he gave, it resulted in the harassment of one of the Coast Guard ships in Sabina (Escoda) Shoal," Trinidad said in mixed English and Filipino. He thought that his Coast Guard friends might be injured or killed." Escoda Shoal became a flashpoint of tensions in the sea in 2024 after the PCG deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua to monitor alleged Chinese reclamation activities in the area. China claims sovereignty over the feature and most of the South China Sea despite a 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that invalidated Beijing's expansive maritime claims.

Source: Philippine Star March 10, 2026 11:09 UTC