THE military has stepped up patrols in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea following China’s latest harassment in the area.
“The Navy and the Air Force have increased our patrols there, by sea and by air,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Navy’s spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, in a radio interview.
Trinidad said the Navy and Air Force increased their presence in the vicinity as the number of Chinese vessels in the area has gone up to 52 as of last Sunday.
He said the Chinese vessels are composed of 47 maritime militia vessels, three Coast Guard vessels, two Navy vessels, a hospital ship, and a research vessel.
The Philippine government only has one vessel in the area — the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, BRP Teresa Magbanua, which was subjected to dangerous maneuvers and rammed three times last Saturday.
The PCG vessel was sent to the shoal, about 70 nautical miles from mainland Palawan, last April after authorities observed a pile-up of crushed corals, which they said was an indication of small-scale reclamation.
In a television interview, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the Coast Guard is planning to send another ship to Escoda Shoal.
“The intention of the commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, is to deploy another vessel so that we can send those people who can really assess, evaluate, and even repair BRP Teresa Magbanua because of the damage that she incurred as a result of the intentional ramming by the Chinese Coast Guard,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said the BRP Teresa Magbanua did not sustain serious damage based on the initial assessment.
“The only very significant damage that we have right now that they recorded is the hole on the side of (BRP) Teresa Magbanua because of the direct ramming carried out by (Chinese Coast Guard vessel) 5205,” he said.
Trinidad implied there was no need to deploy additional vessels to the shoal.
“We only need to ensure that the pile-up of the crushed corals is not man-made. This could be done by one ship, this could be done by (an) aircraft, this could be done by our fishermen. This is not about who has more vessels in Sabina or Escoda (shoal),” he said.
Citing information from the PCG, Trinidad said the morale of the crew of BRP Teresa Magbanua is high.
“This is because they are seeing the other side is giving huge attention to one vessel (BRP Teresa Magbanua),” Trinidad said. “(China) has sent many ships in the area…This means that one vessel is gaining a big reaction from them (China). The crew members’ morale is high morale.”
ARBITRAL CASE
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo yesterday said the Philippines government is contemplating whether to lodge another arbitral case against China following the latest incident in Escoda Shoal.
“Well, we’re contemplating, at the moment, possible approaches to this issue. And I think siguro in the coming days or weeks, we’ll probably have a better picture of where we’re headed for this,” Manalo said when asked in an interview in Malacañang if the government would lodge another complaint against China.
In 2016, the International Court of Arbitration invalidated China’s claim over almost the entire South China Sea based on its nine-dash line theory.
The Philippines filed the complaint following a standoff at the Scarborough Shoal after the Chinese prevented Filipino fishermen access to their traditional fishing grounds, among others.
China does not recognize the ruling.
Manalo, in an interview on the sidelines of the 2024 National Peace Consciousness Month (NPCM) and commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Malacañang, said the Philippines has already reached out to China to express its complaints, displeasure and concern over the latest incident and actions of the Chinese forces in Escoda Shoal.
‘’Well, we have made the necessary approaches to China in terms of contacting them through various means to express our complaint and displeasure at what happened. And not only that, our concern about raising tensions over what was basically just innocent movement by (a) Philippines vessel,’’ he said, adding that the latest action of China surprised the Philippines.
The PCG said the BRP Teresa Magbanua was intentionally rammed by Chinese vessels thrice on August 31, which resulted in damages to the Philippine vessel.
China has been saying that the Philippine ship has been “illegally stranded” at the Sabina (Escoda) Shoal and called on the Philippines to withdraw it immediately or bear the consequences.
‘OBJECTIVE AND FAIR’
China has urged the European Union to be “objective and fair” and careful with words and actions on issues in the South China Sea after the bloc issued a statement in relation to the weekend incident in Escoda Shoal.
China said it was “strongly dissatisfied” with the European Union’s “accusations” against it on the issue, a statement by the Chinese mission to the EU showed.
“The European Union is not a party to the South China Sea issue and has no right to point fingers on the issue,” it said.
It also said the EU’s repeated “hyping up” on the freedom of navigation issue “has no benefits to the EU’s own interests and international credibility”.
China and the Philippines exchanged accusations of intentionally ramming coast guard vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in an escalating series of clashes.
The collision near the Escoda Shoal was their fifth maritime confrontation in a month in a longstanding rivalry over the vital waterway.
The EU said in a Sunday statement that it condemned the “dangerous actions by China Coast Guard vessels against lawful Philippine maritime operations” in the sea.
In the statement, the European Union External Action Service said the recent incidents between Chinese and Philippines authorities “endanger the safety of life at sea, and violate the right to freedom of navigation and overflight to which all nations are entitled under international law.”
Asked about the Chinese response, an EU spokesperson said on Monday the bloc has “a big stake in peace and security in Asia.”
“A large portion of the EU’s foreign trade passes through the South China Sea,” the spokesperson added.
“The European Union calls for de-escalation of tensions and remains committed to supporting its partners seeking to exercise their legitimate rights, in the region and beyond.”— With Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters
