President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. | INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. instructed authorities to maintain a continued presence in Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said on Monday.
NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez made the announcement after BRP Teresa Magbanua returned to Palawan following four months of deployment in Escoda Shoal.
“Ang directive ni Pangulo ay i-maintain natin ang ating presence (the President’s directive is to maintain our presence in Escoda Shoal),” said Lopez in a chance interview with Palace reporters.
READ: West PH Sea: PCG to deploy ships at Escoda amid BRP Teresa Magbanua exit
“‘Pag sinabing presence, strategic presence, hindi lang physical presence, I just want to make clear of that, na hindi ‘yung presence natin — magpapadala tayo ng isang barko, hindi ‘yon,” he added.
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(When we say presence, strategic presence, not just physical presence, I just want to make clear that, that our presence is not limited to sending a single ship, that’s not it.)
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Lopez then stressed that the pulling out of BRP Teresa Magbanua is not a cause for concern as the government consistently utilizes other measures to monitor the Escoda Shoal—which he said is as big as the cities of Caloocan, Navotas, Malabon and Manila combined.
READ: BRP Teresa Magbanua’s return from West PH Sea ‘not a withdrawal’ – NMC
“Hindi naman na talagang concern kasi ang iniisip kasi ng kababayan natin dahil umalis ‘yun, ay giniveup na natin yung Escoda, hindi, mali ‘yung ganon pananaw,” said Lopez.
(It’s not really a concern, our compatriots are thinking that because it left, we’ve already abandoned Escoda, no, that’s a wrong view.)
“Kahit na umalis ‘yung Teresa Magbanua doon, it did not diminish our presence in the area dahil meron tayong maibang paraan para i-monitor, i-cover yung area … ‘yung pagpapalipad ng eroplano, ‘yung technical surveillance capabilities natin, na hindi lang tayo, humihingi rin tayo ng tulong sa mga ating mga allies how to go about this technical coverage,” he explained.
(Even if Teresa Magbanua left, it did not diminish our presence in the area because we have other ways to monitor, cover the area…the deployment of planes, our technical surveillance capabilities, and we are also asking for help from our allies on how to go about this technical coverage.)
Lopez assured the public that the Philippine Coast Guard is already sending a replacement for BRP Teresa Magbanua.
The Philippines and China have long been embroiled in a dispute after China, using its so-called 10-dash line, claimed ownership of most of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which lies well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
However, China’s claims were effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling, which stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
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Despite this, China has continued to deliberately ignore the ruling, consistently encroaching on the Philippines’ EEZ.
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