A LONE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship is the subject of continued harassment by Chinese vessels at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
Monitoring of the area shows that China Coast Guard (CCG) 3303 has been circling the BRP Teresa Magbanua for 10 days at the atoll, which is about 74 nautical miles from Palawan, well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
The Magbanua has been in the area for the past weeks and has been largely stationary while monitoring the activity of Chinese ships there, Sealight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, said.
On Saturday morning, China's maritime militia ship Qiong Sansha Yu 00006 passed within 50 meters of Magbanua. Two hours later, CCG 3303 also did so.
On May 31, aside from Magbanua, nine Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels and one CCG ship were sighted off Escoda.
Escoda Shoal has exhibited signs of coral dredging — a process that inflicts significant harm on the marine ecosystem in the region and a sign that reclamation is in the works.
In April, the PCG announced it had discovered that the low-tide elevation surrounding Escoda Shoal was in a similar degraded state as the Pag-asa Cays.
The discovery was made after more than three weeks of monitoring.
During the survey, the PCG implemented a standard operating procedure of launching rigid hull inflatable boats to inspect the low-tide elevation at Escoda Shoal, particularly for any dumped crushed corals.
In March, Dr. Jonathan Anticamaran and a team of scientists conducted a survey of the area and found 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.
It is believed that the dumping of crushed corals in the area may be in preparation for China's reclamation activities to build structures on top of the maritime feature.
Despite China's denial of any involvement, there is compelling evidence linking the disturbances at Escoda Shoal to materials similar to those found on China's artificially reclaimed islands. This connection raises concerns about the long-term health of the shoal's marine life.
Based on earlier monitoring by the PCG, at least 34 CMM vessels have been sighted at Sabina, with three People's Liberation Army Navy ships, a PLA Navy helicopter and four CCG vessels.
PCG Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan deployed and extended the stay of Magbanua.
Reports of the continued Chinese harassment came as the Philippines welcomed an increased role for the United States in promoting a "rules-based international order underpinned by international law" in the Asean region.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stressed this as the US and Asean held the 36th annual Asean-US Dialogue on May 24 in Washington to discuss expanded cooperation under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro stressed the crucial role of maritime cooperation in preserving peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, the DFA said in a post on Facebook.
US Senior Official Meetings Leader Daniel Kritenbrink reiterated the US support for Asean centrality with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the center of its Indo-Pacific strategy, the DFA said
The US Department of State, in a statement, said Kritenbrink, assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, "expressed the need to uphold freedom of the seas and adherence to international law in the South China Sea."
WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO
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