The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reiterated on Saturday that the country is on solid legal ground following an incident in which a China Coast Guard vessel collided with the BRP Teresa Magbanua near Escoda Shoal on Saturday morning.

In a press briefing by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday, National Maritime Council (NMC) Spokesperson Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez shared that it was around 8:50 AM when Chinese maritime forces noticed the movement of the PCG ship. Subsequently, more Chinese maritime forces and coast guard vessels arrived to surround the Philippine vessel.

However, he mentioned that the PCG vessel neither provoked nor took any action while loitering around Escoda Shoal. Despite this, he furthered that it was the Chinese Coast Guard that carried out the dangerous maneuvers.

“It's important for us to understand that Escoda Shoal has been an issue for the Chinese government since we deployed the BRP Teresa Magbanua last April 15. This has always been a reason for China to make it an issue,” Lopez stressed.

Meanwhile, NTF-WPS Spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela clarified that Escoda Shoal is 75 nautical miles from the island of Palawan, which means that the Philippines can patrol there on a legal basis.

“Dalawa ang pinag-angklahan natin, the UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral ruling. So we exercise sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over the area. So the Chinese Coast Guard vessels are the ones illegally (patrolling)—yung presence nila there are illegal,” he emphasized.

Despite the harassment and provocation, Tarriela said that there was no reason for the Philippines to withdraw its ships.

The collision at Escoda Shoal marks the fifth attack and provocation by the China Coast Guard this month. Tensions between the Philippines and China have been ongoing since the territorial dispute over China’s notorious 'nine-dash line.'