MANILA, Sept 16 (Askume) – The Philippines will continue to deploy ships to the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Monday, the message coming as a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment.
“We will maintain our presence in these waters,” Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said in a press conference.
The PCG vessel Teresa Magbanua was deployed to Sabina Shoal in April to investigate Manila’s suspicions of Chinese involvement in small-scale reclamation activities in the area . It returned to port on Sunday.
Tariera said the ship’s return had nothing to do with China’s request for Manila to recall the ship , but to repair the ship and attend to the crew’s medical needs. Sabina Shoal (called Jianbin Reef in China and Escoda Shoal in the Philippines) is located off the western part of Palawan province in the Philippines and falls under the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“Regardless of the size of the ship, regardless of the number of ships, the primary goal and commitment of the (PCG) commander is to ensure that at any given time, the Coast Guard maintains a presence ashore,” Tarriera said.
The China Coast Guard said on Sunday it will continue law enforcement activities in the waters under Beijing’s jurisdiction in accordance with the law to safeguard the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
China claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, including waters off Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In 2016, an arbitral tribunal in The Hague rejected China’s broad and historical claims, but China rejects the award.
