IN PHILIPPINEWATERS The BRP Teresa Magbanua at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in this photo taken on June 12, 2024 — PHOTO FROM THE PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Manila used a helicopter to resupply a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) after Beijing’s ships blocked Philippine vessels from doing so, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Thursday.
A total of 40 Chinese vessels and warships were deployed at Escoda Shoal on Aug. 26 to prevent BRP Cabra and BRP Cape Engaño from resupplying BRP Teresa Magbanua, according to Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for the WPS.
READ: PCG: China deploys 40 ships to obstruct PH mission in Sabina
“When they were trying to bring supplies to the BRP Teresa Magbanua at Escoda Shoal, they were blocked several times,” Brawner said during a press conference after the meeting of the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board.
“They attempted more than once but then finally they brought supplies using their helicopter,” he added.
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Last Aug. 25, China Coast Guard (CCG) ships used water cannons against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel.
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READ: China ships ram, blast water at BFAR vessel
On Aug. 19, BRP Cape Engaño and BRP Bacagay were subjected by the CCG to what the PCG deemed as aggressive maneuvers while traversing the waters off Escoda Shoal, damaging both Philippine vessels.
READ: PH vessels rammed, harassed by China anew in West Philippine Sea – Malaya
Tarriela said before the incidents in August, the PCG never had a hard time sending supplies to BRP Teresa Magbanua.
The ship was sent to guard Escoda Shoal on April 16 due to suspected reclamation activities in the area. It is now the longest-deployed Philippine asset in the WPS.
However, Chinese publication Global Times claimed that the Philippines was planning to send another vessel to build a “forward deployment base” on Escoda Shoal, a claim which Tarriela said was “unfounded.”
The AFP employs what it calls an “operational mix” like the use of airdrop operations to evade Beijing’s aggressive actions during Manila’s resupply missions in Philippine waters.
For this year alone, Manila employed airdrop operations to resupply BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded naval outpost on Ayugin (Second Thomas) Shoal in January and May due to Beijing’s blockade.
READ: China has ‘zero common sense’ over actions during Ayungin airdrop—PH Navy
China’s claims of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the WPS, are based on its so-called nine-dash line, now ten-dash line.
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However, in 2016 the arbitral tribunal that adjudicated the Philippines’ case against China ruled in favor of Manila, and held that Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea have no legal basis.
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