PCG on China’s protest: Escoda Shoal within EEZ

IN PHILIPPINE WATERS The BRP Teresa Magbanua patrolling around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in this photo taken June 12. —Photo from the Philippine Coast Guard

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine vessels have the right to operate within their exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela asserted on Sunday, in response to China’s diplomatic protest over the monthslong presence of the PCG’s BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal.

The BRP Teresa Magbanua has been posted in Escoda Shoal since April 16 amid the continued presence of Chinese militia and suspected reclamation activities. China claims the shoal, which it calls Xianbin Jiao, although it is only 139 kilometers (75 nautical miles) from the coast of Palawan.

READ: China protests PH ship’s stay at shoal off Palawan

“Escoda Shoal is located within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 arbitral award,” Tarriela said on X (formerly Twitter).

“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 added.

Tarriela said the deployment of the PCG vessel was “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 China should stop citing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as it has been violating the provisions of the 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,” he said.

“Additionally, they have deployed their naval assets in Escoda Shoal, and these actions undermine stability in these waters and contribute to escalating tensions,” he added.

‘Shaping perceptions’

China’s biggest coast guard ship, known as “The Monster,” with bow No. 5901, has been an on-and-off presence in Escoda Shoal, intimidating the BRP Teresa Magbanua. In June, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy conducted “illegal” exercises at Sabina, well within the Philippines’ EEZ where they have no rights under international law, the Philippine Navy had said.

Last week, the China-based think tank South China Sea Probing Initiative accused the Philippines of planning to deploy BRP Melchora Aquino to replace BRP Teresa Magbanua, adding that China was “expected to take resolute countermeasures.”

Tarriela, in response, said Beijing was making these statements “to shape perceptions among their domestic audience and the international community, asserting that they have legitimate claims over the entire South China Sea.”

He said China aims “to distract the international community from their unlawful actions and aggressive behavior,” which includes the deployment of Chinese coast guard and militia vessels “that are clearly encroaching upon the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”“While their unfounded fears regarding the Philippines potentially establishing a forward deployment base in Escoda Shoal are too absurd to warrant a response, this behavior reveals the mindset and actions of the PRC,” he said.

‘Nonnegotiable’

“Their suspicions about the Philippines engaging in such actions stem from their own pattern of unlawfully occupying maritime areas in the South China Sea, followed by illegal reclamation and provocative militarization of those features,” he added.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada expressed support for the PCG, saying that “Our sovereign rights over this particular area is nonnegotiable and any attempts to challenge it are baseless. This is ours and we will fight for it.”

“[T[here is no reason for us to withdraw our vessel, which was anchored in response to suspected reclamation activities of China,” he said in a statement.

“It is China encroaching on our EEZ, not the other way around. Their primary objective seems to be to establish full control of the shoal with their own Chinese Coast Guard vessels and maritime militia, without any presence from us,” he added.

The Philippines’ claims are backed up by the 2016 arbitral court ruling which already invalidated China’s nine-dash line claims and upheld the country’s EEZ rights over the West Philippine Sea, Estrada said. —with a report from Tina G. Santos