BRP Teresa Magbanua (File photo)
The Philippines has never given up on Sabina (Escoda) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea a day after it withdrew a ship that had been stationed at the area amid a five-month dispute with China, an official said on Monday, September 16.
In a press briefing, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said the country would “continuously deploy” coast guard vessels to the disputed waters.
“The Philippine Coast Guard, together with the armed forces of the Philippines, will never abandon our sovereign rights over these waters. We are still going to sustain our presence,” Tarriela said.
“There are already plans in place for asking for deployment,” he added without providing details, including when this would happen, citing operational security.
Tarriela stated that because of bad weather, running low on daily supplies, and having to evacuate patients in need ofmedical attention, the Philippine Coast Guard had to remove its flagship vessel, the BRP Teresa Magbanua, from the reef on Sunday.
He denied that the reason for the ship’s return was due to Beijing’s persistent requests that Manila evacuate the ship from the area, which is roughly 110 nautical miles (204 kilometers) from the Philippine coast and well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“We have not lost anything. We did not abandon anything. Esconda Shoal is still part of our exclusive economic zone. We can deploy vessels anytime we like. We can go there anytime we like,” Tarriela said.
After China sent a larger ship in retaliation, Escoda Shoal became the most recent source of contention between the two nations. China allegedly obstructed the Philippines’ attempts to resupply items to the crew.
Escoda Shoal is near the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, which is under Philippine jurisdiction and has had several run-ins between the coast guards of the two nations recently.
In recent months, there have been claims between China and the Philippines of purposefully colliding with each other’s ships in the disputed waters. In June, there was a violent altercation that left a Filipino sailor without a finger.
“Regardless of what size of the vessel, regardless of how many vessels, the main objective and the commitment of the commandant … is to make sure that at any one time, there will be a Coast Guard presence in the shoal,” Tarriela said.
The country likewise plans to replace the BRP Teresa Magbanua with another vessel in a move that may further aggravate China.
On Sunday, China’s Coast Guard said that it will uphold Beijing’s territorial sovereignty, maritime rights, and interests while carrying out law enforcement operations in Beijing’s jurisdictional waters.
Beijing asserts its sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. Its claims are similar to those of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. (TCSP)
