Sa harap ng hinala na nagpaplano na naman ang China na gumawa ng artipisyal na isla sa Escoda o Sabina Shoal na sakop ng teritoryo ng Pilipinas, ipinadala doon ng Philippine Navy ang isa nilang warship.
“For the past good number of days, we have had one warship stationed in the area,” sabi ni Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad sa mga mamamahayag nitong Martes.
“This is to ensure that whoever is doing that, we are not sure who is doing that, whoever is piling up their corals on Sabina Shoal, we will be able to expose their activities,” sabi pa ng opisyal.
Ayon kay Trinidad, hindi papayagan ng Philippine Navy na magkaroon ng reclamation sa Escoda Shoal dahil “it is well within the sovereign rights and sovereignty of the Philippines.”
Una rito, inihayag ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) na posibleng nagpaplano na naman ang China na gumawa ng artificial island sa naturang bahagi ng WPS dahil sa mga nakitang durog na corals na itinambak sa lugar.
Nitong Lunes, sinabi ni Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin na "rumor" lang ang naturang alegasyon.
“As I just said, the accusation of ‘China’s reclamation’ at Xianbin Jiao is sheer rumor spread by the Philippines, which is an irresponsible claim designed to vilify China and mislead the international community,” pahayag nito sa press conference sa Beijing.— mula sa ulat ni Joviland Rita/FRJ, GMA Integrated News
