PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) personnel from the BRP Teresa Magbanua on Wednesday participated in a flag-raising ceremony at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to mark Independence Day.

PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said the event was the first flag raising at Escoda Shoal.

Balilo said BRP Teresa Magbanua was at the shoal to "maintain peace and security within the waters of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ)."

During the ceremony, the PCG said they sighted eight Chinese vessels within Escoda Shoal and four more outside the shoal.

Balilo said the Chinese vessels were monitoring the event.

The ceremony was led by PCG Lt. Efren Duran with the crew and riders of the BRP Teresa Magbanua.

BRP Teresa Magbanua was deployed by PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan to the area last month in response to the presence of Chinese ships in the atoll.

The PCG said this was also done to intensify the Philippines' vigilance in the area amid China's brazen attempt at creating artificial islands by destroying coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea.

The PCG said two smaller patrol vessels — BRP Cabra and BRP Malabrigo — have also been doing rotational deployments in the same area to help the government document Beijing's "alarming expansionist agenda."

Recent surveys conducted by the Philippines in Escoda Shoal revealed visible discoloration of its seabed, strongly indicating that deliberate activities may have been undertaken to modify the natural topography of its underwater terrain.

The report said the presence of crushed corals strongly suggests a potential act of dumping, possibly involving the same dead corals that were previously processed and cleaned before being returned to the seabed.