Philippine Coast Guard Will Prevent China From Reclamation In The South China Sea

Philippine coast guard ship BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410). (Wikimedia Commons/Philippine Coast Guard Facebook)

JAKARTA - The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said its troops were committed to staying in disputed areas in the South China Sea, to ensure China did not carry out reclamation activities in Sabina Shoal.

Located in the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, the formation is a meeting point for ships carrying out resupply missions for Philippine troops stationed on warships ran aground in Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila and Beijing are often involved in sea clashes.

PCG spokesman Jay Tarriela said at a news conference on Monday that Coast Guard Troops must ensure they can prevent "Chigkok from reclamation at Sabina Shoal," Reuters reported May 13.

He said the coast guard was committed to maintaining his presence at a beting that Manila called the Escoda.

Last Saturday, coast guard said it had deployed a ship to Sabina Shoal, where they accused China of building an artificial island, amid rising maritime disputes, adding two other ships were in rotating deployments in the area.

Since the ship's deployment in mid-April, the coast guard said it had found a pile of dead and destroyed corals that had been dumped in a mound in Sabina Shoal, changing its size and altitude.

Tarriela believes that the coast guard has been effective in preventing China from reclamation on a small scale. Although, his party has not received any documentation of the Bamboo Curtain country ships in Sabina Shoal since deploying multi-player response ships there in mid-April.

"Anyway, I don't want to be caught," said Tarriela.

Separately, there was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Manila on Tarriela's statement.

"China has undisputed sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and adjacent waters," the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement on Sunday.

It is known, China claims almost all of these important waterways, including some claimed by the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing's claims had no basis based on international law. China firmly rejected the decision.

Beijing's move to carry out extensive land reclamation on several islands in the South China Sea, building air bases and other military facilities, raises concerns in Washington and the rest of the region.