Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua |PHOTO COURTESY OF PCG
MANILA, Philippines — BRP Teresa Magbanua’s return from Escoda (Sabina) Shoal within the West Philippine Sea is “not a withdrawal,” mentioned the Nationwide Maritime Council (NMC) on Monday.
“No, it’s not a withdrawal,” NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez mentioned in an opportunity interview with Palace reporters.
“We didn’t withdraw and hindi rin ito ‘yung naging kasunduan over the past BCM (bilateral session mechanism), baka akala kasi ng ating mga kababayan bumigay tayo, in reality, hindi. Nagmatigas tayo through the assembly in Beijing and our DFA (Division of Overseas Affairs) said that our presence will probably be maintained on the shoal, so it’s not a withdrawal,” he added.
(We didn’t withdraw and this was not the settlement over the past BCM, folks would possibly assume we gave in, however in reality, we didn’t. We stood our floor through the assembly in Beijing and our DFA said that our presence will probably be maintained on the shoal, so it’s not a withdrawal.)
READ: West PH Sea: BRP Teresa Magbanua arrives in Palawan with sick crew
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Lopez cited that the “primordial cause” why BRP Teresa Magbanua was pulled out from Escoda Shoal was for “humanitarian” functions.
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“Throughout the protection ng pagdating ng barko, ilan iyong naka dextrose, dalawa pa sa stretcher. In order that they wanted fast medical consideration,” he mentioned.
(Throughout the protection of the ship’s arrival, some have been on dextrose, two others have been on stretchers. In order that they wanted fast medical consideration.)
READ: West PH Sea: Many Chinese language ships exit Sabina after BRP Teresa Magbanua withdrawal
Lopez additionally mentioned that the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is already within the strategy of sending a substitute for the pulled out vessel.
“We may have our presence nonetheless in Escoda, not essentially Magbanua kasi magkakarepairs pa eh (as a result of there’ll nonetheless be repairs). So we are going to let the PCG tackle that operational subject,” he defined.
The NMC serves as the federal government’s policy-making physique in terms of the nation’s maritime safety and area consciousness, together with the nation’s ongoing territorial dispute with China within the West Philippine Sea.
It was in April when Manila deployed the BRP Teresa Magbanua to stop Beijing from reclaiming Sabina Shoal, however pulled it out over the weekend, with the vessel arriving in Palawan on Sunday.
READ: West PH Sea: PCG to deploy ships at Escoda amid BRP Teresa Magbanua exit
The Philippines and China have lengthy been embroiled in a dispute after China, utilizing its so-called 10-dash line, claimed possession of many of the South China Sea, together with the West Philippine Sea, which lies properly inside the Philippines’ unique financial zone (EEZ).
Nevertheless, China’s claims have been successfully invalidated by a July 2016 worldwide tribunal ruling, which stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
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Regardless of this, China has continued to intentionally ignore the ruling, persistently encroaching on the Philippines’ EEZ.
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