PH keeps ‘persistent’ presence off Scarborough despite China’s moves

This 2016 photo taken by a drone camera shows part of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc, which is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea that is being claimed by China. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines maintains a “persistent presence” in Scarborough Shoal even as China claims it managed to drive away a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel.

BFAR’s BRP Datu Sanday has remained in the waters of the sandbank — also locally known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal  —since Wednesday, Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea, said on Friday.

Tarriela repudiated the statement of  China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesperson Gan Yu that Chinese ships drove away BRP Datu Sanday from the shoal on Friday after “repeated dissuasion and warnings.”

“The persistent presence of [BFAR] vessel, BRP Datu Sanday … is consistent with the national laws and the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela told reporters in a Viber message.

“The objective of her presence is to ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen in the area and to safeguard them from harassment.”

The personnel of the BFAR vessel also provided fuel subsidies for Filipino fishermen in the area, Tarriela said

BFAR increased its presence off Scarborough Shoal after CCG personnel harassed Filipino fisherfolk last month.

On Jan. 12, fisherman Jack Tabat witnessed CCG personnel forcing Filipino fishers to throw shells they had gathered from Scarborough back into the sea and then drive them away.

Tabat took videos of the incident that made rounds on social media.

There was no presence of  PCG and BFAR vessels when that incident occurred, prompting the government to increase its presence there.

The PCG and BFAR have been deploying their vessels to protect fisherfolk in the sandbank since Feb. 1, with PCG ship BRP Teresa Magbanua and BFAR vessel BRP Datu Tamblot completing their mission off the low-tide elevation on Feb. 9.

China seized control of Scarborough’s lagoon in 2012 following CCG’s standoff with Philippine vessels, in line with Beijing’s assertion that it owns almost the entire South China Sea, which includes the West Philippine Sea.

READ: 2023: A look back at rising tension in West PH Sea

In 2013, the Philippines lodged a case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Manila challenged China’s then-nine-dash-line and won a favorable ruling that effectively invalidated Beijing’s claims in July 2016.

The landmark decision covered Scarborough Shoal, which it declared a traditional fishing ground that should be shared among neighboring countries.