PCG tells China: Escoda Shoal is ours

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has asserted its right to operate within Escoda Shoal, located within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), amid growing tensions with China over the contested area.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela emphasized that the shoal is indisputably part of the Philippines’ EEZ, as established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and reinforced by the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling.

“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,” Tarriela said yesterday in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The statement follows Beijing’s recent protest against the presence of the BRP Teresa Magbanua near the shoal, which China claims as part of its Nansha Islands.

However, Tarriela dismissed China’s claims, insisting that it is China, not the Philippines, that is destabilizing the region.

“China should stop citing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as they have not honored or followed a single provision of that declaration,” Tarriela said.

He said that Beijing has been deploying its large Coast Guard vessels in the area, complemented by numerous Chinese maritime militia.

China, according to Tarriela, has deployed its naval assets in Escoda Shoal, and “those actions undermine stability in these waters and contribute to escalating tensions.”

Tarriela clarified that the PCG’s presence in the area is not intended to provoke or escalate tensions but to protect the country’s sovereign rights and safeguard against poaching and activities that damage the marine environment.

The shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, is a coral reef formation located roughly 70 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan and is well within the Philippines’ EEZ.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada meanwhile said yesterday there is no reason for China to demand the Teresa Magbanua’s withdrawal from Escoda Shoal, instead maintaining it is China that should leave the area.

“There is no infringement of China’s territory in the Escoda