Crushed coral in Sabina Shoal could be natural –scientist

A marine scientist from the University of the Philippines Institute of  Biology, who went to Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea to conduct a marine scientific survey said natural processes could have formed the piles of crushed coral near the shoal.

At the sidelines of the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, Dr. Jonathan Anticamara was asked if there were indeed reclamation activities in Escoda Shoal as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) claimed that the crushed corals were dumped in preparation for China’s island-building.

Anticamara responded, “Right now we’re not sure… [but] we know  that there is a growing pile of rubble that’s been observed in recent years.”

“But since we didn’t see China dumping it… We’re not 100% sure if there is dumping or reclamation,”  the marine scientist said.

Anticamara said that the pile of dead corals could have naturally occurred.

“Posibleng natural,” he said, adding that the extent of damaged or dead corals could have piled up due to tropical cyclones that hit the area.

According to a ''24 Oras Weekend'' report by Darlene Cay on Saturday, Anticamara said that recent Chinese dives at Escoda Shoal were likely an attempt to learn more about the corals in the area.

“Hindi naman ‘yun gawa nung mga PCG. Wala naman silang gagawin na ganun. Alam din natin na just recently, nag-dive ang mga Chinese all around Escoda. So, we can sort of infer na gawa nila ‘yun,” added Anticamara.

(It wasn’t done by the PCG. They wouldn’t do something like that. We also know that there have been Chinese diving activities all around Escoda recently. So, we can sort of infer that they did that.)

Philippine authorities will be conducting further investigations into these activities.

“If China continues to block all our activities, research, conservation management… tuluyang mamamatay ang ecosystems na ito, (these ecosystems will die),” said Anticamara.

Last month, the PCG accused China of building an artificial island in the WPS feature.

PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said dead and crushed coral were dumped on the sandbars of Escoda Shoal which altered their size and elevation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday called the alleged reclamation a “rumor.”

Despite not being certain whether the piles of dead corals were dumped or natural, Anticamara said, “We need to pay attention.”

“Dapat maingat tayo dun sa evidence natin at ma-distinguish natin kung aling natural at aling artificial,” added maritime law expert Atty. Jay Batongbacal.

(We should be careful with our evidence and distinguish between what is natural and what is artificial.)

The marine scientist reiterated that corals in the Escoda Shoal are nearly 100% dead amid observed extensive coral bleaching. 

However, Anticamara said there is not enough evidence to point to the extensive coral damage to China’s actions in the area.

China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) also recently held military exercises there. The Philippine Navy criticized the exercise.

Batongbacal said that these issues should be raised with the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council.

“Of course, alam natin na since ang China ay may veto power sa UN Security Council, di siguro mag-move forward yun. Pero the mere fact na dadalhin mo yung isyu sa international community para malaman nila kung anong nangyari at anong katotohanan—that's already an important step,” he said.

(Of course, we know that since China has veto power in the UN Security Council, it probably wouldn’t move forward. But the mere fact that we would bring this issue to the international community so they can find out what is happening and what the truth is—that’s already an important step.)

GMA Integrated News has reached out to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy for comment.

Escoda Shoal, for the past few weeks, has been on the radar due to the increased Chinese presence and the escalating territorial dispute.

“We need to take some concrete action so that we can recover and restore degraded coral reefs in the Philippines,” Anticamara said.

Escoda Shoal serves as the rendezvous point for vessels carrying out resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre, a World War  II-era vessel grounded at Ayungin Shoal in 1999.

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.

Manila calls parts of the waters within its exclusive economic zone as the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague ruled that  China's claims over the South China Sea had no legal basis, a decision Beijing does not recognize. — with Jiselle Anne Casucian/DVM/VBL, GMA Integrated News