As the Philippine Coast Guard Flagship vessel, left Escoda for repositioning purposes. Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has ordered the military to maintain a presence in the disputed waters, following the pullout of the BRP Teresa Magbanua after 5 months of deployment in the west Philippine Sea.
BRP Teresa Magbanua leaves Escoda Shoal with mission accomplished, stopping China from potential reclamation. This repositioning also allows the Flagship vessels to undergo needed repairs, but Manila will soon return to Escoda Stronger, to maintain its presence and continue to assert its sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and monitor illegal activities in the area.
For now, PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the military to maintain a presence in the disputed Escoda Shoal. The country can maintain its presence in the disputed area in a number of ways, such as radar, fly-bys of Armed Forces of the Philippines aircraft, and other modalities for maritime domain awareness. These includes aid in technicalities from ally nations such as the United States, Japan and Australia.
Philippine top officials allayed concerns that the pullout of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the biggest vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard, was a sign that the Philippine government is giving up its claim on Escoda Shoal. That's a wrong point of view. Even if Teresa Magbanua left, it did not diminish Manila’s presence in the area because they have other ways to monitor and cover the area.
The main reasons for sending the PCG vessel to its homeport in Palawan was humanitarian, as several of the personnel manning, required immediate medical attention. Adm. Ronnie Gaavan has ordered the deployment of another PCG vessel to Escoda Shoal once the big waves in the area have subsided.
The whys in the Magbanua’s forced pullout are easy to understand - first, there was bad weather since early last week. Second, basic supplies were scarce. Finally, the health and safety of its crew were a concern - they’d been out for sea longer than the Magbanua’s usual deployments. Personnel were dehydrated and sick.
This repositioning will allow the Magbanua to address the medical needs of some of her crew, undergo needed repairs, and allow her crew to enjoy a well-deserved furlough and reunion with their loved ones.
The Philippines maintained, that the withdrawal from Sabina was not a defeat, rejecting comparisons to the Scarborough Shoal, which Manila lost to Beijing, after a similar months-long standoff in 2012. It would be impossible for China to totally stop the Philippines from sending its ships around the 137-square-kilometer Sabina Shoal.
The Philippine Coast Guard can carry out whatever it takes to make sure that China will not be able to occupy and even reclaim Escoda Shoal. The Philippine have other Coast Guard vessels, that may have been or may already be proceeding to Escoda Shoal, Tarriela said without providing details, citing operational security considerations.
Philippine Coast Guard Flagship vessel has been victim to, the worst in the West Philippine Sea, as tensions rise between the superpower China and the Philippines. The BRP Teresa Magbanua has survived it all, proudly flying the Philippine flag over Escoda Shoal - never mind that there’s been a gaping hole in her hull since late August 2024.
BRP Teresa Magbanua would return to Escoda Shoal after undergoing repairs, along with additional forces from the PCG and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Once resupplied, repaired, and the crew recharged, BRP Teresa Magbanua will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission, along with other PCG and AFP assets, as defenders of Philippine sovereignty.
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27 сен 2024
