The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Sunday, September 22, that the country sent a new patrol mission at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal as Chinese vessels loiter in the area.
In a chance interview at PCG Headquarters in Manila, PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said there was “no reported adverse situation” at the 136-square-kilometer reef about 70 nautical miles from Palawan mainland and within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“We will be maintaining our strategic presence all over the country. We are everywhere,” Gavan said.
National Maritime Council spokesman Undersecretary Alexander Lopez had already explained in a news forum on Saturday, September 21, that the Philippines will now keep the details of its patrol mission confidential as part of a new plan.
He said that the Philippines had learned from the West Philippine Sea that it should not give away its plans and should keep operational information “close to our chest as much as possible.”
“Mas maganda nga iyong nanghuhula sila kung saan. Kasi kapag alam nila kung nasaan, doon sila pupunta eh – parang magnet iyan. So, that is our approach na as much as possible na hindi natin i-reveal kung nasaan sila,” Lopez said.
The BRP Teresa Magbanua finally left Escoda Shoal after more than five months and arrived in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, last week. Four crew members were severely dehydrated and had been living on rice porridge and rainwater for weeks because the China Coast Guard prevented the delivery of supplies.
Filipino ships that are sending supplies to the naval station in Ayungin Shoal meet at Escoda Shoal. Since 1999, the naval outpost BRP Sierra Madre has been aground there, which has been a major source of tension between Manila and Beijing. (TCSP)
