PCG: No 'special arrangement' with China over Scarborough Shoal

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Friday said the Philippines did not have a "temporary special arrangement" with China at the Bajo De Masinloc, also known as the Scarborough Shoal.

"Let us not be influenced by [China's] fabricated stories once again, which aims to confuse the Filipino people and divert the public discourse from the real issue of their harassment and provocative actions in Bajo De Masinloc," said PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela.

Furthermore, the Coast Guard commodore emphasized that the Philippines did not recognize the 12-nautical-mile “red line” in the Scarborough Shoal which China claimed was based on the “temporary special arrangement” allegedly arrived at in 2016.

In a message to reporters, Tarriela pointed out that under the Marcos administration, all illegal lines that contradicted the 2016 Arbitral Award and UNCLOS were invalid.

“I only emphasized that those lines are not recognized by the Philippine government, and it does not actually exist. We have successfully proven that it is merely a product of their imagination,” he said.

“We will demonstrate to the world that these lines drawn by bully countries like China are baseless and serve only to intimidate the Philippines using their bigger coast guard vessels and maritime militia,” he added.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese Embassy in Manila claimed that, in 2016, China had set a temporary special arrangement in the Scarborough Shoal with Philippine fishers and other agencies.

“According to the temporary special arrangements by the Chinese side in 2016, Filipino fishermen can fish with small fishing boats in designated waters except the lagoon of Huangyan Dao,” the Chinese Embassy said.

“While the AFP, PCG, and other Philippine government vessels and aircraft should refrain from entering the 12 nautical miles and corresponding air space of Huangyan Dao,” the embassy added.

GMA News Online also asked the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) about the alleged Scarborough Shoal arrangement but they had yet to respond as of posting time.

China had also claimed to have an arrangement for the Second Thomas Shoal or Ayungin Shoal as well as a “Gentlemen’s Agreement, Internal Understanding and New Model” with the Philippines.

Philippine officials have denied the supposed deals.

On Tuesday, the PCG said China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels again fired water cannons at Philippine civilian vessels en route to the Scarborough Shoal.

The PCG vessel BRP Bagacay's superstructure was damaged during the incident.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel BRP Bankaw—which was rammed by Chinese vessels three times—had damage to its heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical, navigation, and radio systems, and superficial damage to its hull.

Several countries expressed concern over the incident.

A Reuters report quoted Chinese ministry spokesperson Lin Jin as telling the Philippines to stop provocations and to not challenge China's determination to safeguard its "sovereignty."

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the waters within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone have been renamed the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China's claims had no legal basis. Beijing has rejected the decision. — DVM, GMA Integrated News