PCG vows continued presence at Escoda after ship pullout

BY VICTOR REYES and JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has pulled out its ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua, from Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, effectively leaving the Philippine government without any presence at the shoal which is about 70 nautical miles from mainland Palawan.

The BRP Magbanua left the Escoda, also known as Sabina Shoal, last Saturday and a replacement vessel was en route as of yesterday afternoon, according to Alexander Lopez, spokesman of the National Maritime Council (NMC).

“Another will immediately take over,” Lopez said, citing an order from the Philippine Coast Guard chief. “Definitely, we will keep our presence there.”

Among reasons for the withdrawal, after a five-month deployment, are depleted supplies and crew members needing medical attention, the NMC said.

The vessel was sent to Escoda, also known as Sabina Shoal, in April this year after authorities discovered a pileup of crushed corals in the area, which they said was an indication of China’s small-scale reclamation activities.

The vessel was subjected to dangerous maneuvers by Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels on August 31. It was rammed three times, sustaining damage in the process, but remained in the area.

Magbanua’s presence at the shoal has angered Beijing, turning the shoal into the latest flashpoint in the contested waterway.

Beijing had demanded the Philippines withdraw the 97-meter Magbanua it claimed was “illegally stranded” at the atoll, which it asserts it owns as part of its broader claim to nearly the entire South China Sea.

“The Philippine side’s actions have seriously infringed on China’s territorial sovereignty,” Liu Dejun, a spokesperson for China’s coast guard said in a statement on Sunday about what it referred to as Manila’s “withdrawal” of its ship.

Manila and Beijing have traded accusations of intentional ramming of each other’s vessels near Sabina last month, just after reaching a pact on resupply missions to a beached Filipino naval ship in the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).

Teresa Magbanua’s return was necessary for the medical needs of its crew and to undergo repairs, and once it has been resupplied and