MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy floated the possibility of “leveraging” the country’s partners and allies as it continues to validate the existence of a pipe “inside” Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, also said the country could send a ship and aircraft and even use satellite tracking to confirm the veracity of reports from fishermen who could still come near the atoll.
“We can send out a ship, an aircraft [and] use satellite tracking. We could leverage our partners and allies. There are many ways,” Trinidad said in a regular press briefing in Fort Bonifacio.
Fishermen could no longer enter the vicinity of the shoal since last month due to this reported construction, according to Mark Figueras of the “Atin Ito” coalition, who led a convoy there that only managed to reach 25-30 nautical miles away from the shoal.
READ: PH fishers spot pipe installation ‘in middle of’ Scarborough – NGO
“There were reports of having pipes spotted underwater, but we are still confirming this,” Trinidad said.
China seized control of Scarborough Shoal’s lagoon in 2012 after its coast guard’s standoff with Philippine vessels.
Their actions align with Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
This landmark decision also included Scarborough Shoal, which was declared a traditional fishing ground that should be shared by the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.