Gov't urged: Build wharf, send troops to Sabina Shoal vs China's 'quiet encirclement'

A security analyst is urging the Philippine government to send troops and even build a fisherman’s wharf at Sabina (Escoda) Shoal amid moves by Beijing to build an artificial island there.

Speaking to TeleRadyo Serbisyo, International Development and Security Cooperation president Chester Cabalza said Sabina Shoal is just 75 nautical miles or around 120 kilometers off the coast of Palawan island, well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

“Kailangang bantayan natin ito dahil malapit ito sa mainland. Malapit din ito sa Second Thomas Shoal  or Ayungin Shoal kung saan nandoon ‘yung BRP Sierra Madre at Mischief Reef na unang ninakaw sa atin ng China. Sa taas nun, nandoon ‘yung Reed Bank na mayaman sa langis. Very specific ‘yung location,” he said.

“Kung sakaling makuha nila ‘yung Sabina Shoal, nakapaligid na ito sa BRP Sierra Madre. Quiet encirclement ang ginagawa nila.”

China's alleged reclamation attempt in Escoda Shoal a security threat — analyst

The Philippine Coast Guard earlier sent a ship "to monitor the supposed illegal activities of China, creating 'an artificial island'," the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement, adding two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area.

PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told a forum there had been "small-scale reclamation" of the Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, and that China was "the most probable actor".

Beijing and Manila have been embroiled for a year in heated stand-offs over their competing claims in the South China Sea, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually.

China claims almost all of the vital waterway, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing's claims had no basis under international law.

China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region.

A Philippine vessel has been anchored at the Sabina Shoal to "catch and document the dumping of crushed corals over the sandbars", Tarriela said, citing the "alarming" presence of dozens of Chinese ships, including research and navy vessels.

Tarriela said the presence of Chinese vessels at the atoll 124 miles (200 km) from the Philippine province of Palawan coincided with the coast guard's discovery of piles of dead and crushed coral.

The coast guard will take marine scientists to the areas to determine whether the coral piles were a natural occurrence or caused by human intervention, he said.

In the interview, Cabalza said the Philippine government should send more vessels in the area to prevent a repeat of China’s takeover of Mischief Reef during the Ramos administration.

“Damihan yung monitoring vessels doon. Dapat malaman ito ng international community dahil kasama ito sa arbitral award. Karapatan nating mangisda doon. Karapatan nating itaboy ang forces ng China dahil tayo lang ang may karapatan sa EEZ natin. Part ito ng internal waters natin. Wala silang karapatan na kunin ito,” he said.

“Kung kinakailangan maglagay ng fisherman’s wharf doon gawin natin. Kung kinakailangan maglagay ng tropa doon gawin natin para may nakabantay para hindi maagaw itong mga island ito,” he added.

Armed Forces spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, meanwhile, said large-scale reclamation activities seem to have ceased after the Coast Guard started patrolling the area for the past 26 days. 

“Constantly na silang nagpapatrol ngayon for 26 days. Napansin natin na wala nang ganung activities to claim that area. Wala nang malakahing activities to reclaim that area. Na-deter natin in a way,” Padilla said. 

The spokesperson noted the Philippine Navy has been a constant presence in the area to support the Coast Guard’s law enforcement activities. 

 “We will do everything to deter this from coming to fruition. Makikipagtulungan ang AFP sa mga necessary agencies,” Padilla noted. 

With a report from Reuters