PHL to stay at Ayungin Shoal, will not remove grounded vessel – DFA

(Updated 5:27 p.m.) The Philippines is not inclined to pull out its grounded vessel in Ayungin Shoal in the disputed South China Sea despite China’s allegation that it agreed to withdraw the ship that has served as Manila’s military outpost in the area for 15 years.

Defying China’s call to remove the broken-down vessel, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday maintained that the shoal—also known as Second Thomas Reef—is part of the country’s continental shelf “over which the Philippines has sovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

Seven Filipino navy personnel are guarding the detachment that was set up in 1999 to mark Ayungin as part of Philippine territory.

Further, the DFA, in a statement, said “the BRP Sierra Madre, a commissioned Philippine Naval Vessel, was placed in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as a permanent Philippine installation in response to China's illegal occupation of Mischief Reef in 1995.”

This is the first time that the Philippine government openly admitted that the BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally positioned at the shoal to be used as a permanent military base to thwart another Chinese incursion.

Mischief (Panganiban) Reef is a Philippine-claimed territory in the South China Sea that was occupied by China in 1995.

The Philippines last week filed a diplomatic protest against China — the second in two weeks — for preventing its two vessels carrying supplies and personnel from going to Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea. Before that, Manila accused China of harassing a group of fishermen off the Scarborough Shoal, another Philippine-claimed feature in the South China Sea now being controlled by China after a standoff in 2012.

'Unequivocal commitment'

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Qin Gang claimed that the Philippines agreed to pull out BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, which Beijing calls Ren'ai Reef, back in 1999.

"A Philippine ship illegally 'grounded' on the Ren'ai Reef of China's Nansha Islands in 1999, with the excuse of 'malfunction.' China made representations right away to the Philippine side who then made unequivocal commitment to towing away the ship," Quin said in a statement.

The Chinese official said the Philippine government has "yet to live up to its promise and haul away the rusty ship."

He further maintained that China "has every reason" to send the two Philippine ships away from the shoal, saying the sea vessels "infringed upon China's rights and interests."

"To make matters worse, it [the Philippines] sent two ships to transport construction materials to the Ren'ai Reef, with the aim of building facilities and 'maintaining a presence' at China's island. The two Philippine ships were loaded with concrete and rebar rather than food. Is concrete and rebar edible?" he said.

He added that the Philippines violated the Declaration of Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea (DOC) by sending its ships to the Ayungin Shoal.

Prior to DOC signing

The DFA however said the installation of the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin was prior to the signing of the DOC in 2002.

The DFA said the installation of the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin was prior to the signing of the DOC in 2002.

The DOC is a non-binding code of conduct signed by Beijing and the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which the Philippines and other South China Sea claimants Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, are members. Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are other members of the ASEAN.

It calls on all claimants to exercise restraint and stop new occupation of territories in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China nearly in its entirety despite objectons from its Asian neighbors.

However, the document lacks the power to sanction states that will violate its provisions,.

China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia lay claim on parts or virtually the entire contested region, islands and reefs where undersea gas deposits have been discovered in several areas.

Analysts have feared the conflicts could be Asia's next flashpoint.

China objects to third-party intervention to the disputes, particularly the involvement of the United States, which declared that it is in its national interest to ensure unfettered access to the busy sealane and peaceful resolution of the row.

Beijing prefers to negotiate one on one with other claimants, which would give it advantage because of its sheer size compared to rival claimants which are smaller and have less military force.

China is likewise pushing for the shelving of disputes and for joint development in the strategic waters pending a final resolution of the claims.

The Philippines challenged China’s massive claim before a United Nations-linked tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, where a resolution is pending. — with Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News