MANILA – China’s aggressive moves in Escoda Shoal on Sunday was probably due to the presence there of modern vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
According to PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela, he assumed that China was overreacting to the presence of PCG’s latest ship in Escoda Shoal since April.
On Sunday afternoon, China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels rammed and used a water cannon on the BRP Datu of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) near Escoda Shoal.
“We could just assume that the reason why China is overreacting is because naniniwala sila sa sarili nilang paranoid narrative na merong dahilan tayo na ire-reinforce natin ang presence ng Teresa Magbanua,” Tarriela said in an interview with GMA 7’s Unang Balita.
He added: “For so many months, they are asking and criticizing the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard vessel there. Sinasabi nila na ito daw ay semi-grounded na, ito daw ay gagawing forward deployment base, and they even filed a diplomatic protest asking us to remove our Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal,” he added.
Tarriela further stated that the PCG deployed a vessel to Escoda Shoal not to provoke or escalate tensions but to protect and safeguard the Philippines’ sovereign rights over these waters.
China claimed that Escoda Shoal, or Xianbin Jiao, is part of its Nansha Islands, but the Philippines is insisting that it is located in the country’s exclusive economic zone in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral award.
Meanwhile, despite the Sunday incident, Tarriela said that the PCG will leave it up to the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to decide whether it will invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States.
“I will trust the DND and the AFP to decide on this. For the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), of course, they also are responsible in the diplomatic approach ng ating gobyerno, so sila rin ang may [of our government so they also have an] authority when it comes to this kind of strategy,” he said.
Tarriela also said that the resupply missions will continue for the Filipino fisherfolks in Escoda Shoal and other parts of the West Philippine Sea./PN
