Says 22 Chinese boats still in vicinity
THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday said it is not withdrawing BRP Teresa Magbanua from Escoda Shoal, saying the damage sustained by the vessel after it was harassed and rammed by Chinese vessels last Saturday is not enough to order its pull out.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said that “it is the commitment of the commandant, Adm. (Ronnie Gil) Gavan, to the President that no matter what happens, the Philippine Coast Guard will maintain our presence and we are not going to withdraw our coast vessel there.”
He said that in case BRP Teresa Magbanua is pulled out from the shoal, it will be replaced by another PCG vessel.
He said the damage sustained by the PCG vessel included a hole on its portside and “some damage on its physical structure.”
“But the commanding officer was certain enough to say that all these incurred damages cannot compel (BR)) Teresa Magbanua to withdraw from Escoda Shoal,” said Tarriela.
On Saturday, Tarriela said Chinese vessels harassed and rammed BRP Teresa Magbanua, which has been deployed at the shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, three times, even though there was no provocation from the PCG ship. No one was reported injured among the crew members due to the incident.
Tarriela said the PCG will soon present the full details of last Saturday’s incident to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and to the National Maritime Council (NMC).
“From there, we can come up with policy recommendations and actions that we can take for their (NTF-WPS and NMC) for their appreciation and eventual approval,” he said.
He said the morale of the crew of BRP Teresa Magbanua remains high.
“They still have the high spirit to comply with the instruction of the (PCG) commandant (Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan). Regardless of the bullying, aggressive action of the Chinese Coast Guard, we are still going to hold the line and maintain our presence in the area,” said Tarriela.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila blamed the PCG for the incident, questioning why BRP Teresa Magbanua has been loitering in the area since April this year.
‘’Why has PCG 9701 stayed there since April? That is the root cause of everything now,’’ the embassy said as it accused the Philippines of “trying to create another Renai Jiao (Ayungin Shoal) situation.”
Beijing has been blaming the Philippines for incidents in the West Philippine Sea – the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ 200-mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf – and has claimed that the country is acting on behalf of the United States and other Western countries.
This is despite Beijing losing in the arbitral case filed by Manila challenging its outsized claim in the disputed waterway.
CHINESE VESSELS
Tarriela yesterday said 22 Chinese vessels, including two navy tugboats, remained “strategically” positioned at the vicinity of Escoda Shoal where the Chinese harassed and rammed BRP Teresa Magbanua last Saturday.
Citing information as of Saturday night, Tarriela said there were 15 Chinese maritime militia vessels, three Chinese Coast Guard vessels, two Chinese Navy tugboats, one hospital ship, and one rescue and salvage vessel in the area.
“That’s the entire maritime forces of the People’s Republic of China that are deployed at Escoda Shoal,” he told a radio interview, adding the vessels are 800 yards to two nautical miles away from the PCG vessel.
“These are strategically dispersed,” said Tarriela, adding that the deployment of such a number of Chinese vessels “makes us speculate a lot of things.”
“As I have said, they have two tugboats from the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy, a rescue and salvage vessel, and a hospital ship, aside from the Chinese maritime militia and Chinese Coast Guard vessels,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said the deployment can be interpreted as merely a “psywar” or psychological warfare strategy of the Chinese.
“We can also probably guess that they will really serve their purpose, preparing for something. But again, all of these are being considered in our contingencies,” he said.
On whether the PCG will also deploy additional vessels to Escoda Shoal amid the large Chinese force in the vicinity, Tarriela said: “Well, that is a possibility, but I won’t confirm that because, as I said, that’s an operational detail on the part of the Philippine Coast Guard.”
Tarriela surmised the Chinese are harassing PCG vessels at Escoda Shoal based on their propaganda that the PCG will ground BRP Teresa Magbanua in the area and turn the shoal into a forward deployment base.
“(They are) believing their own propaganda,” said Tarriela, stressing: “It is not the intention of the Philippine Coast Guard to ground such an expensive vessel. Obviously, (BRP) Teresa Magbanua is one of the most expensive Coast Guard vessels in our inventory.”
DIPLOMATIC MECHANISMS
The National Maritime Council, in a statement, said President Marcos Jr. on Saturday ordered the continued pursuit of diplomatic mechanisms and peaceful resolutions to resolve rising tensions in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea (SCS/WPS) despite China’s latest aggression.
“As directed by the President, the Philippines will fully utilize and continue to pursue diplomatic channels and mechanisms under the rules-based international order and pursue the peaceful resolution of disputes,” the NMC said in a statement.
It added that the Philippines will continue its sovereign operations in its maritime zones, including the continued deployment and operation of the BRP Teresa Magbanua in the West Philippine Sea and “will not succumb to acts of harassment and aggressive behavior.”
“The Philippines condemns this unprovoked aggression and remains steadfast in upholding its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines will continue our routine maritime activities, protect our territory and maritime zones, and defend against environmental degradation and other illegal activities,” it said.
The NMC called on the CCG to exercise restraint “and prioritize the safety of vessels at sea and aircraft within our airspace.”
It added that China’s latest actions are uncalled for as the Philippine vessel was engaged in a peaceful and lawful patrol within the Philippines’ own maritime jurisdiction, saying that the presence of the PCG vessel in the shoal is legal and is in accordance with international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
The United States, Australia and Japan yesterday condemned China’s latest action, saying Beijing should respect and adhere to international law.
“The United States stands with its ally, the Philippines, and condemns the dangerous and escalatory actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on August 31,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Miller reiterated its call for China to ensure that its claims and actions “comport with international law and to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.”
“The PRC’s unlawful claims of ‘territorial sovereignty’ over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, threatens the freedom of navigation and overflights of all nations,” Miller said as he reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to come to Manila’s aid in case of an armed attack on Philippine vessels and aircraft, including in the South China Sea.
The US and the Philippines have an existing mutual defense treaty signed in 1951.
US Ambassador to Manila MaryKay Carlson, in a post on her X account, formerly Twitter, also condemned China’s latest action. “We stand with the Philippines in upholding international law,” Carlson said.
The Australian and Japanese ambassadors also condemned Beijing’s latest harassment.
“Australia shares the Philippines’ concerns about China’s destabilizing behavior at Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. Repeatedly ramming vessels is unacceptable and dangerous.
All countries must comply with international law. The 2016 Arbitral Award is binding on its parties,” Australian Ambassador Hae Kyung Yu said.
Japanese Ambassador Endo Kazuya echoed his counterparts in calling out the action of Chinese vessels.
“As a stakeholder of the South China Sea, seriously concerned over the repeated incidents including the collision by a CCG vessel against a vessel. Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” he said.
The Japanese envoy said Tokyo will always stand with Manila in “upholding the rule of law at sea.”
In a separate statement, British Ambassador Laure Beaufils also said the United Kingdom “is concerned about reports of yet more dangerous actions by a Chinese vessel near Sabina Shoal.”
Beaufils also reiterated the UK’s appeal for China to “respect international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award which is legally binding on the parties.”
Senate president pro tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the Philippine government “has all the reasons and enough evidence to bring the repeated and unprovoked dangerous actions of the Chinese Coast Guard before international courts.”
“Our government has sufficient basis to take immediate and decisive legal action to hold China accountable for its increasingly aggressive actions. They have repeatedly endangered the lives of our brave men and women Coast Guard personnel and violated international maritime laws and sovereign rights,” Estrada said in a statement.
Estrada said China does not even have the right to question the presence of BRP Teresa Magbanua in an area which is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which the Arbitral Court has ruled to be within the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction. — With Jocelyn Montemayor, Ashzel Hachero and Raymond Africa
