PH looking into filing case vs China after aggression in Escoda Shoal

ANOTHER CONFRONTATION Images released by the Philippine Coast Guard, through the X account of its spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela, show the extent of damage sustained by its ships after these were rammed by China Coast Guard vessels early Monday near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is “looking into” filing a case against China after the latter’s recent aggression within Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, said the National Maritime Council (NMC) Tuesday.

“We are looking at that. Especially for the part of the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) because they know how to go about it. So maybe we will get back to you later on as long as we get more inputs from the PCG,” NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez said in a chance interview.

Meanwhile, Presidential Assistant on Maritime Concerns Secretary Andres Centino said that the addition of new members to the NMC — which includes the Solicitor General — already signifies the Philippine government’s “intent to consider filing a case.”

“That actually signifies the intent of the government to consider the filing of a case. The solicitor general is tasked to do these things, and I would suppose that its inclusion in the council means that is one of the options that will be considered,” he explained.

Asked where the case would be filed, Centino responded that it “could be in different bodies.”

“I cannot say specifically what body, but just to say the Solicitor General is there, I think that is in order,” he said.

In the meantime, Lopez said that the Department of Foreign Affairs is already studying filing a diplomatic protest or non-verbale against China after the ramming incident in Escoda Shoal on Monday.

In a Palace briefing, the NMC said China’s recent aggression against Philippine ships in the Escoda Shoal was “unprofessional and dangerous.”

It also called China’s action a violation of international law, specifically, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNCLOS and the 1972 Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).

It was on Monday, Aug. 19, when the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted a regular and routine logistics mission in the West Philippine Sea.

It was then that Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed two PCG vessels within the vicinity of Escoda Shoal.

READ: China’s latest WPS aggression may be due paranoia over Escoda reinforcement—PCG

But China, for its part, claimed that the vessels”deliberately” collided with a CCG vessel in Escoda Shoal.

The Philippines and China have been embroiled in a long-time maritime dispute with China after the latter claimed ownership of most of the South China Sea through its so-called 10-dash line, including the West Philippine Sea, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidated China’s claims and upheld the Philippines’ EEZ through a 2016 Arbitral Award, but China has consistently ignored the ruling, persistently encroaching on Philippine waters and harassing Philippine ships.