FILE PHOTO: The side of the Scarborough Shoal as seen using a drone. Mother boats are anchored at the deeper part of the shoal while small boats can go across the coral reefs to catch fish inside. On Friday, March 8, 2024, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said they sustained their presence near Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea to protect Filipino fishermen in the area. PHOTO BY REM ZAMORA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sustained its presence near Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea to protect Filipino fishermen in the area, its spokesperson said Friday.
Rear Admiral Armand Balilo told INQUIRER.net over the phone that PCG vessel BRP Malabrigo embarked on a three-day patrol in the vicinity of the reef also known as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc.
He did not reveal more details, except that “[t]hey also brought relief goods for the fishermen as they continue to monitor the area.”
BRP Malabrigo returned to Manila on Friday afternoon, according to Balilo.
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Asked if there is a presence of foreign vessels in the area, Balilo said their personnel there have yet to submit their report.
However, Ray Powell, who leads Project Myoushu (South China Sea) at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, said the BRP Malabrigo experienced “harassment” from China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels and suspected Chinese maritime militia.
“At Scarborough Shoal it was harassed by at least [two] China Coast Guard [and four] militia ships, which repeatedly employed dangerous swarming [and] bow-crossing maneuvers,” Powell said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
The vessels were deployed as the government committed to boosting the country’s presence in the low-tide elevation amid another incident of harassment of China Filipino fisherfolk by the China Coast Guard (CCG).
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On Jan. 12, fisherman Jack Tabat witnessed CCG personnel forcing Filipino fishers to throw shells they had gathered from Scarborough back into the sea before driving 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.
China seized control of Scarborough’s lagoon in 2012 following CCG’s standoff with Philippine vessels. Beijing believes it owns almost the entire South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.
In 2013, the Philippines lodged a case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands. Manila challenged China’s nine-dash line then and won a favorable ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claims in July 2016.
The landmark decision also covered Scarborough Shoal, which the PCA declared a traditional fishing ground that should be shared among neighboring countries.