Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Corals

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17567942164311756794215277.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">July 2023 photo release from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command shows Chinese vessels at Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal. Handout/File</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><br/></div><p>MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday clarified that the reported buildup of crushed corals in several features in the West Philippine Sea was most likely caused by natural factors, not by recent human activity.</p><p>Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said crushed corals have been observed in Sabina or Escoda Shoal, Hasa-Hasa Shoal and Sandy Cay, but no ships were monitored conducting reclamation or dumping activities.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/5/3/vietnam-protests-china-philippines-claims-on-sandy-cay-2225">Vietnam protests China, Philippines claims on Sandy Cay</a></div><p>“In our checks with our partner agencies in the maritime domain—the Philippine Coast Guard and the BFAR [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources]— this has been reported in the past. There was no noted presence of any vessel that was dumping crushed corals,” Trinidad told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.</p><p>According to Trinidad, while possible reclamation through dumping crushed corals had been reported last year, the recent changes in these features are “most likely attributed to a natural occurrence.”</p><p>“The rise, however, of the elevation of these features could be attributed to the weather disturbances that we encountered in the past months. So, tidal movements or weather disturbances usually pile up crashed corals on shallow portions of the West Philippine Sea,” the official explained.</p><p>“We checked with all other government partner agencies in the maritime domain and the assessment is that since there were no ships monitored, this is not a man-made incident. It&#x27;s a natural occurrence on account of the weather,” he added.</p><p>Asked about the legal implications if low-tide features become elevated due to coral buildup caused by natural factors, Trinidad deferred to experts.</p><p>But he assured that the AFP’s security posture in the West Philippine Sea remains the same.</p><p>“As to the legal implications of a high tide or low tide [feature] brought about by natural occurrence, I&#x27;d like to defer to our legal luminaries on that. Nevertheless, your AFP, your Philippine Navy, Air Force, and Army on Pag-asa Island and even in our other features—regardless of the elevation of these low tide or high tide features—our posture has been the same. We are there to secure the integrity of our national territory,” Trinidad said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wjHJH4MSWo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4KBkgEjSlNI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Philippine Navy said crushed corals have been observed in Sabina or Escoda Shoal, Hasa-Hasa Shoal and Sandy Cay, but no ships were monitored conducting reclamation or dumping activities.</p>

The Philippine Navy said crushed corals have been observed in Sabina or Escoda Shoal, Hasa-Hasa Shoal and Sandy Cay, but no ships were monitored conducting reclamation or dumping activities.

PH Navy: Coral buildup in West PH Sea features a 'natural occurrence'

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PH Navy: Coral buildup in West PH Sea features a 'natural occurrence'

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 02, 2025 02:54 PM PHT

Read More:

crushed corals

Sabina Shoal

Escoda Shoal

West Philippine Sea

Armed Forces of the Philippines

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