PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the military to maintain a presence in the disputed Escoda (Sabina) Shoal following the pullout of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said Monday. "The President's directive is to maintain our presence in Escoda Shoal," NMC spokesman Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez told reporters. "When we say presence, [this refers to] strategic presence and not just physical presence. I just want to make clear that our presence is not limited to sending a single ship there. That's not it." The country can maintain its presence in the disputed area in a number of ways, such as radar, fly-bys of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) aircraft, and "other modalities for maritime domain awareness," the official added. The Philippines may also turn to ally nations such as the United States, Japan and Australia for aid in "technicalities," he added, without providing specifics. Lopez allayed concerns that the pullout of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the biggest vessel of the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), was a sign that the Philippine government is giving up its claim on Escoda Shoal. "That's a wrong point of view. Even if Teresa Magbanua left, it did not diminish our presence in the area because we have other ways to monitor [and] cover the area," he said. "It is not a withdrawal; we did not withdraw. There was never an agreement. They (China) said we caved in, no. In fact, we continue to stand our ground. During our meeting in Beijing, [we said ] our presence will be maintained in the Escoda," he added. Lopez further noted that one of the main reasons for sending the PCG vessel to its homeport in Palawan was "humanitarian," as several of the personnel manning it required immediate medical attention. Adm. Ronnie Gavan has ordered the deployment of another PCG vessel to Escoda Shoal once the big waves in the area have subsided, the NMC official said. "The PCG vessel may already be within the vicinity of Escoda," he said. BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed in the area, 75 nautical miles or around 140 kilometers off Palawan, since April amid reports of China's expansive reclamation activities there. On August 31, a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel rammed into the PCG ship, causing significant damage. The Teresa Magbanua was abruptly called back to Palawan, with Manila citing damage from an earlier clash with Chinese ships, ailing crew members, dwindling food and bad weather. "We have not lost anything. We did not abandon anything. Escoda Shoal is still part of our exclusive economic zone," Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commo. Jay Tarriela said in a press briefing on Monday, using the Filipino name for Sabina Shoal. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, including the Sabina Shoal, despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertions have no merit. It has acted aggressively towards Philippine government vessels at Sabina and other disputed features in recent months, ramming, blocking, water-cannoning and even boarding them, causing damage and injuries. The confrontations have sparked concern that the United States, a military ally of Manila, could be drawn into armed conflict with China. With the Chinese harassing resupply missions, Tarriela said it came to the point that the BRP Teresa Magbanua's water desalinator broke down, forcing the crew to rely on rainwater for drinking "for more than one month now." He said the crew was also reduced to "eating porridge for three weeks," which "obviously is not nutritious." Following the ship's pullout, China's coast guard insisted on Sunday that Beijing "has indisputable sovereignty" over Sabina. It warned the Philippines to "stop inciting propaganda and risking infringements," adding Beijing would "continue to carry out rights protection and law enforcement activities" there. But Tarriela on Monday maintained the withdrawal from Sabina was "not a defeat," rejecting comparisons to the Scarborough Shoal, which Manila lost to Beijing after a similar months-long standoff in 2012. He said it would be "impossible" for China to totally stop the Philippines from sending its ships around the 137-square-kilometer Sabina Shoal. "The Coast Guard can carry out whatever it takes for us to make sure that China will not be able to occupy and even reclaim Escoda Shoal," he said. "We have other Coast Guard vessels that, as we speak right now, may have been or may already be proceeding to Escoda Shoal," Tarriela said without providing details, citing operational security considerations. Sabina is located 140 kilometers west of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan Island, the nearest major Chinese landmass. WITH AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE