MANILA – The Philippines expressed its “serious concern” after the China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel 5205 repeatedly rammed into BRP-Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal on Saturday.
According to National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez, the latest incident is concerning as the BRP Teresa Magbanua sustained damage in its bridge wing and freeboard.
“Well, the position of the government, especially the National Maritime Council, we take this with serious concern,” Lopez said in a press conference hours after the ramming incident.
“This is part of the reports that we will be submitting to the Department of Foreign Affairs, and then the DFA will come up with its own study to come up with the most appropriate actions,” he added.
PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, for his part, said that the vessel lifted its anchor 8 a.m. with the intention of “loitering around Escoda Shoal.”
“When it was already on the move at 12:07 p.m., CCG vessel 5205 carried out the dangerous maneuver resulting to its direct ramming into the port bow of BRP Teresa Magbanua,” Tarriela said.
“After this, it went around and then did another ramming to the PCG vessel. On the port beam of MRRV-9701, the CCG vessel 5205 has once again directly and intentionally rammed the PCG vessel,” he added.
In a drone shot, Tarriela showed that BRP Teresa Magbanua was originally surrounded by People’s Liberation Army Navy tugboats 175 and 185, CCG vessels 4301 and 3104, and Chinese maritime militias.
Escoda or Sabina Shoal is located 75 nautical miles or about 140 kilometers off Palawan and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Despite talks for de-escalation, tensions continue amid China’s massive claim in the South China Sea (SCS), including the portion the Philippines refers to as the WPS.
The SCS is a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Aside from the Philippines, China has overlapping claims in the area with Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s claims in the SCS, saying that it had “no legal basis,” but China does not recognize the decision./PN
