PCG vessel now patrolling in Escoda Shoal — NSC exec

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel is now patrolling in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal as a replacement for BRP Teresa Magbanua, a National Security Council (NSC) official said on Thursday.

NSC spokesperson Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, however, said that they cannot divulge the specific Philippine ship and its location in the West Philippine Sea.

“May Coast Guard vessel na po tayo na nagpapatrolya sa Escoda Shoal so ang ginagawa naman po nung ating Coast Guard vessel ay bantayan, siguruhin na walang reclamations, siguruhin na walang ilegal na nangyayari diyan sa Escoda Shoal,” Malaya told Dobol B TV in an interview.

"We already have a Coast Guard vessel patrolling the Escoda Shoal, so what our Coast Guard vessel is doing is to keep watch, make sure there are no reclamations, make sure there is nothing illegal going on in the Escoda Shoal.)

“For us to be able to do, kailangan may presensya po tayo so meron po tayong kapalit ang Teresa Magbanua na siyang nagbabantay ngayon at nagpapatrolya sa Escoda Shoal,” he added.

(For us to be able to do so, we need to have a presence so we have a replacement for Teresa Magbanua, which is now guarding and patrolling the Escoda Shoal.)

After five months of being anchored at the area, BRP Teresa Magbanua was pulled out from Escoda Shoal due to its questionable seaworthiness, lack of supplies for the crew, and the bad weather condition, according to the PCG.

BRP Teresa Magbanua had been stationed in Escoda Shoal since April amid reports of China's reclamation activities in the area.

Escoda Shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, is located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kms off Palawan and is within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Beijing had been calling on the Philippines to remove the BRP Teresa Magbanua from Escoda Shoal as its presence supposedly violates Chinese sovereignty.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that it lodged a formal protest over the presence of the Philippine ship in Escoda Shoal.

Tensions continue amid China's massive claim in the South China Sea (SCS), including the portion the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea.

The SCS is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has not recognized the decision. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News