PCG eyes more, larger vessels to escort resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Tuesday said the national government has an option to add more and bigger PCG vessels that will escort boats during resupply missions for BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the agency is committed to provide more and bigger vessels. However, he said the matter would need clearance from 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 said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

“[PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu] is committed to add more vessels and to deploy a larger vessel,” he added.

Tarriela said the PCG has 97-meter vessels BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Teresa Magbanua, as well as 83-meter vessel BRP Gabriela Silang.

The PCG made the statement following the August 5 incident near Ayungin Shoal where Chinese vessels made dangerous maneuvers and blasted water cannons against Philippine vessels.

PCG’s 44-meter vessels BRP Malabrigo and BRP Cabra escorted the two resupply boats identified as the red hull and green hull on their way to Ayungin Shoal.

Due to China’s actions, the red hull failed to bring food, water, fuel, and other supplies to military troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre.

China strategy

In a separate interview on CNN Philippines, American maritime security expert Ray Powell said China is executing a blockade to seize Ayungin Shoal.

“China's whole strategy, the reason they're blockading BRP Sierra Madre, is because they want to make it uninhabitable,” Powell said.

“So eventually once the Philippine Navy leaves the Sierra Madre, where it breaks up, slides off the shoal, simply becomes untenable, that gives China essentially possession of the shoal,” he added.

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.

For its part, Beijing claimed that the Philippine ships intruded into its territory and violated their laws when it conducted the resupply 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. —KBK, GMA Integrated News