Remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal? PCG says it is within Philippines' EEZ

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday said the BRP Sierra Madre which is stationed at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The PCG made the comment a day after China demanded the removal of the ship from Ayungin Shoal which it calls Ren’ai Jiao.

Interviewed on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela was asked about the statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Philippines supposedly made a promise that it will remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal.

“As far as I am concerned, hindi ko ma-recall na ang ating national government made a promise na tatanggalin natin ito. Siguro bata pa ako noon,” Tarriela said.

(As far as I am concerned, I cannot recall that our national government made a promise that we will remove the ship. Maybe I was still a kid then.)

“Secondly, I would like to agree with you na ang Ayungin Shoal has only a distance of 115 nautical miles from Palawan. So it means it falls within the exclusive economic zone of our country and we have sovereign rights and jurisdiction over these waters,” he added.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday made the statement as it gave comments on the US State Department's criticism over China’s ships blocking Philippine boats on a resupply mission for BRP Sierra Madre on August 5.

“The historical context of the issue of Ren’ai Jiao is very clear. In 1999, the Philippines sent a military vessel and deliberately ran it aground at Ren’ai Jiao, attempting to change the status quo of Ren’ai Jiao illegally,” the statement read.

“China immediately made serious démarches to the Philippines, demanding the removal of the vessel. The Philippines promised several times to tow it away but has yet to act. Not only that, the Philippines sought to overhaul and reinforce the military vessel in order to permanently occupy Ren’ai Jiao,” it added.

The PCG said the China Coast Guard on August 5 made dangerous maneuvers and used water cannons against Philippine vessels resupplying food, water, fuel, and other supplies to military troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre.

TIMELINE: Chinese water cannons, illegal maneuvers vs. Philippine resupply mission

Several countries — led by the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada — expressed support for Manila and criticized China's actions, the latest in the string of several reported incidents of harassment against Philippine vessels this year.

Beijing claimed that the Philippine ships intruded into the Ayungin Shoal and violated their laws when it conducted the supply mission.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Ayungin is part of the Philippines' 200-nautical mile EEZ.

In July 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, based on a case filed by the Philippines, junked China's nine-dash line claim covering the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. China has refused to acknowledge the ruling.

According to a Reuters report on Tuesday, China's ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, has said that the Philippines has repeatedly taken unilateral actions on disputed shoal

Huang reportedly said China is waiting for feedback from the Philippine side, and hopes to start talks as soon as possible. 

Due to the water cannon incident, Tarriela, in a separate television interview, said the PCG may add more and bigger vessels that will escort boats during resupply missions for BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

According to Tarriela, the PCG is committed to provide more and bigger vessels, but this should be cleared first by the National Task Force (NTF) WPS.

“That's an option for the national government. We're still going to clear this on the NTF WPS if there is a need for us to increase the number of the Coast Guard vessels to support the resupply mission,” he told CNN Philippines. —KG/KBK, GMA Integrated News