Philippines reestablishes presence at disputed shoal

The Philippines has reestablished a presence in Sabina Shoal, the National Security Council said Thursday, nearly two weeks after pulling its lone coast guard ship out of the disputed South China Sea reef. 

Manila announced the move despite Beijing claiming it “has indisputable sovereignty” over the shoal, the latest flashpoint between the two rival claimants in the waterway.

“We have a replacement for Teresa Magbanua and is now guarding and conducting patrols at Escoda Shoal,” council spokesman Jonathan Malaya said over DZBB radio in Manila. 

Malaya did not disclose details about the newly deployed ship and its exact whereabouts, or say when it had reached the shoal. But he said it was already patrolling waters around the shoal located within Manila’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.

“What the Philippine Coast Guard is doing is guard [the shoal] … [to] ensure there are no illegal activities happening at Escoda Shoal and for us to be able to maintain presence [there],” Malaya said, referring to Sabina Shoal by its Philippine name.

The vessel replaced the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the coast guard ship which left Sabina Shoal on Sept. 14 after a five-month deployment because, officials said, crew members needed medical care and repairs to the ship had to be done.

For Manila, the reef serves as a rendezvous point for resupply missions to nearby Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal), where the Philippines keeps a World War II-era ship grounded as a military outpost and territorial marker.

On Thursday, China’s defense ministry reiterated Beijing’s territorial sovereignty over Sabina Shoal.

“We urge the Philippine side not to have illusions and miscalculations and stop making any risky and futile provocations,” said Senior Col. Zhang Xiaogang, a defense ministry spokesman.

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The BRP Teresa Magbanua’s sudden withdrawal surprised many, including Filipino military intelligence officials. The move left Marcos administration officials having to defend themselves over questions about whether Manila had surrendered the reef to Beijing. 

Should China take control of Sabina Shoal, it could effectively cut off Philippine resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal, according to analysts.

“[China] has numbers on its side, so the Philippine approach needs to be strategic and not tactical at this point,” Manila-based geopolitical analyst Julio Amador III told BenarNews last week.

He said Manila’s plans for the shoal remained unclear, particularly over whether it would maintain a continued and uninterrupted presence there or conduct rotational patrols around the area. 

The situation at the shoal is now a “contest of wills” between Manila and Beijing, Amador said.

Jeoffrey Maitem and Mark Navales in Manila contributed to this report.