PCG tells China: Escoda Shoal is ours

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has asserted its right to operate within Escoda Shoal, located within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), amid growing tensions with China over the contested area.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela emphasized that the shoal is indisputably part of the Philippines’ EEZ, as established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and reinforced by the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling.

“Our Philippine Coast Guard vessels have the right to operate within the lagoon of Escoda Shoal for as long as necessary, without requiring permission from any other country,” Tarriela said yesterday in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The statement follows Beijing’s recent protest against the presence of the BRP Teresa Magbanua near the shoal, which China claims as part of its Nansha Islands.

However, Tarriela dismissed China’s claims, insisting that it is China, not the Philippines, that is destabilizing the region.

“China should stop citing the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as they have not honored or followed a single provision of that declaration,” Tarriela said.

He said that Beijing has been deploying its large Coast Guard vessels in the area, complemented by numerous Chinese maritime militia.

China, according to Tarriela, has deployed its naval assets in Escoda Shoal, and “those actions undermine stability in these waters and contribute to escalating tensions.”

Tarriela clarified that the PCG’s presence in the area is not intended to provoke or escalate tensions but to protect the country’s sovereign rights and safeguard against poaching and activities that damage the marine environment.

The shoal, also known as Sabina Shoal, is a coral reef formation located roughly 70 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan and is well within the Philippines’ EEZ.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada meanwhile said yesterday there is no reason for China to demand the Teresa Magbanua’s withdrawal from Escoda Shoal, instead maintaining it is China that should leave the area.

“There is no infringement of China’s territory in the Escoda Shoal. The area where our Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua has been stationed for nearly four months now, falls within our exclusive economic zone as defined by international law. Therefore, there is no reason for us to withdraw our vessel which was anchored in response to suspected reclamation activities of China,” Estrada said.

AFP modernization gets P50 billion boost

The modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines meanwhile will be receiving a record P50 billion in fresh funding in the 2025 national budget, now undergoing deliberations in the House of Representatives.

“In the 2025 national budget, the sum of P50 billion in capital outlays has been earmarked to be used exclusively to support the funding requirements of the military’s ongoing modernization projects,” Rep. Johnny Pimentel said over the weekend.

The amount, according to the Surigao del Sur congressman, is “25 percent, or P10 billion higher than the P40-billion appropriation for the acquisition and upgrading of military hardware and systems in the 2024 national budget.”

“Congress is absolutely determined to keep up the funding for projects that are meant to build up the military’s national defense capabilities,” the former House deputy speaker added.

Pimentel previously served as chairperson of the House strategic intelligence committee, and is a strong backer of the Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and the US.

He also authored House Bill 1782, which seeks to appropriate P5 billion for the installation of new naval forward operating bases to secure the West Philippine Sea’s vast natural gas and oil deposits that have the potential to supply the country’s energy demand in the decades ahead.

Under the Revised AFP Modernization Program Law of 2012, the aecretary of the Department of National Defense (DND)administers the release and use of the money for modernization projects.

Allotments for the purpose would be issued only upon submission by the DND of the recommendation by the appropriate bids and awards committee of the grant of contracts.

Last April, the Department of Budget and Management released the fourth milestone payment of P6 billion for the DND’s order for two brand-new, multi-role missile corvettes from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. — Delon Porcalla