MANILA – The Philippines is keeping a close watch on the China Coast Guard (CCG) “monster ship” which has been spotted in Sabina (Escoda) Shoal, a ranking official said Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, however, clarified that they are not engaged in a standoff.
“What happened is that because of our monitoring of the unusual pile up of crushed corals, the Philippine government deployed a ship to monitor the activity there. Its presence is longer than the usual presence that we do and the other side, the CCG also deployed their monster ship (with bow number 5901),” he said.
The ship was spotted July 30.
“So we’re watching them, they are watching us,” Trinidad said.
Sabina Shoal, a coral reef formation, lies 75 nautical miles away or 140 km off the province of Palawan.
Trinidad also dismissed talks that Sabina Shoal is the new flashpoint in the WPS, adding that the source of tensions has always been the “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions of the Chinese Communist Party.”
He added that they increased their presence in Sabina Shoal to ensure that the pile of crushed corals found in April is not man-made.
Aside from the CCG giant ship, Trinidad said they have monitored the presence of a Chinese survey ship for the past 10 days.
As per the Navy tracking, it came from Mischief Reef 10 days ago.
Upon checking with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trinidad said the vessel does not have a survey request.
“It has sailed through areas within Sabina Shoal and the southern part of Sabina Shoal,” he said.
Trinidad said they are leaving it to appropriate government agencies on how to deal with hydrographic surveys or marine scientific research within the country’s exclusive economic zone, noting that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea does not mention anything about this and coastal states have different practices on the matter. (PNA)