PH ship in Escoda Shoal to protect sovereignty – PCG official

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua to Escoda (Sabina) Shoal to protect the country’s sovereign rights and run after illegal fishing activities, not to provoke or escalate tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Commo. Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the WPS, said Sunday.

Tarriela issued the statement in response to reports that China lodged a formal protest over the presence of the ship in Escoda Shoal (Xianbin Jiao in Chinese), a coral reef formation some 70 nautical miles off mainland Palawan.

In a post on X, Tarriela said that Escoda Shoal is deep within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, citing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and the 2016 arbitral award.

“Our Philippine Coast Guard vessels have the right to operate within the lagoon of Escoda Shoal for as long as necessary, without requiring permission from any other country,” he said.

He advised China to stop citing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea in its statements “as they have not honored or followed a single provision of that declaration.”

“As far as the region is concerned, it is only Beijing that constantly violates this declaration. They have been deploying their large coast guard vessels there, complemented by their numerous Chinese Maritime Militia,” Tarriela said.

He cited China’s deployment of naval assets in Escoda Shoal that “undermine stability in these waters and contribute to escalating tensions.”

“Moreover, the Philippine Coast Guard has deployed there not to provoke or escalate tensions; rather, it aims to protect and safeguard our sovereign rights over these waters, particularly against illegal poachers engaged in IUUF (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) and activities that damage our marine environment,” he said.

The 97-meter BRP Teresa Magbanua, PCG’s most expensive vessel and one of its largest ships was deployed mid-April amid reported reclamation attempts of China, part of its aggressive expansionism in the WPS and the entire South China Sea.