Philippine Coastguard Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for West Philippine Sea. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — The anchored Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship in the Escoda (Sabina) Shoal of the West Philippine Sea is now running low on supply, as vessels that supposed to bring goods for its personnel are being prevented by Chinese ships.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, on Tuesday made this revelation about BRP Teresa Magbanua, which has been sent to guard the shoal since April 16, becoming the longest-deployed asset in the West Philippine Sea.
“The fact that there’s a need for us to do a humanitarian mission to provide supplies on board BRP Teresa Magbanua, it just goes to show that the essential supplies and food requirement for us to feed our crew on board Teresa Magbanua is already critical,” Tarriela told reporters in an interview.
Tarriela admitted that it’s “really difficult” for the PCG to resupply BRP Teresa Magbanua.
“But, as far as the Philippine Coast Guard is concerned, we are coming up with different strategies to ensure that we can still provide essential supplies to our personnel,” he said.
On Monday, a total of 40 Chinese ships and warships were deployed on Monday in Escoda Shoal to obstruct the resupply for BRP Teresa Magbanua.
Some of these vessels blocked PCG ships BRP Cabra and BRP Cape Engaño from coming closer to dispatch its supplies for the ship.
This latest incident is part of China’s aggressive actions in Escoda Shoal.
On Sunday (Aug. 25) CCG vessels blasted water cannons against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel.
Last Aug. 19, BRP Cape Engaño and BRP Bacagay were subjected by CCG to what the PCG deem as aggressive maneuvers while traversing the waters off the shoal, damaging both ships.
Prior to such incidents, Tarriela noted that the PCG had never had a hard time sending supplies to BRP Teresa Magbanua.
“They only started their heightened level of aggression somewhere between the second week or third week of August,” Tarriela said.
”So that means that prior to that … the Philippine Coast Guard before never really had difficulty in delivering essential supplies on board BRP Teresa Magbanua,” he added.
The persistent deployment of PCG in Escoda Shoal did not sit well with China.
Chinese publication Global Times even claimed that the Philippines is planning to send another vessel to build a “forward deployment base” in Escoda Shoal, a claim which Tarriela previously deemed as “unfounded.”
Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by the arbitral award issued in July 2016.
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This landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, or a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now has an effective control of.
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