FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo yesterday said there was no agreement with China on the decision of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to withdraw its BRP Teresa Magbanua last week from Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
This as Manalo said he will assert the country’s stance on the WPS before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and address the escalating tension in the area.
“There was no deal,” Manalo told reporters in a chance interview, adding it was just a “coincidence” that the PCG vessel’s withdrawal from Escoda took place after the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) between senior Philippine and Chinese officials held in China, and aimed at easing tension in the WPS.
“They discussed the issues but there was no deal. We did discuss issues of concern but there was no deal of any kind,” Manalo said.
The previous BCM, which was held in July in Manila, resulted in a “provisional agreement” to de-escalate tensions and prevent clashes at Ayungin Shoal where the Philippine Navy maintains a small detachment aboard the BRP Sierra Madre which was grounded in the shoal in 1999 to prevent China from occupying the area.
The withdrawal of BRP Magbanua came amid China’s continued aggressive moves in the WPS, blocking and ramming Philippine vessels doing patrols or resupply missions in the area, resulting in damage to several ships.
BRP Teresa Magbanua was not spared of Chinese harassment as it was rammed by a Chinese ship last August 31, causing some damage to the 97-meter offshore patrol vessel. The ship was deployed to Escoda in April amid concerns China would seize the shoal and build artificial outposts in the area.
Escoda Shoal is located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kilometers off Palawan and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.
Meanwhile, Manalo said he will assert the country’s position in the WPS and promote regional peace and stability at the 79th UNGA in New York City.
The UNGA opened on September 10.
“We’re very much involved in the need for security and promoting regional stability in the West Philippine Sea and of course in other areas, and also if I do speak if the meeting is held, also in areas like the Red Sea,” he said.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Joseph Gilbert Violago, who defended the DFA’s budget during the plenary deliberation last Wednesday, said the department is looking at filing a resolution at the UNGA to address the escalating tension in the WPS brought by Chinese aggression.
Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio also renewed his call for the government to file another arbitration case against China to jolt it into dialing down its aggression in the WPS.
In a 2016 ruling, the Permanent Court of Arbitration junked China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, saying its so-called nine-dash line has no legal or historical basis.
But Beijing refused to recognize the ruling.
A second arbitration case, Carpio said, would also enable Manila to claim for compensation from the damage wrought by Chinese vessels as well as prevent further aggression.
