Aquino orders pullout of PHL ships from Panatag Shoal due to bad weather

President Benigno Aquino has ordered all Philippine vessels in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal to pull out from the area due to bad weather, a foreign affairs official said. In a text message to reporters Saturday, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez quoted DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario as saying President Aquino ordered the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships to leave the area. “Last night, President Aquino ordered both of our ships (PCG and BFAR) to return to port due to increasing bad weather," Hernandez quoted the DFA chief as saying. Moreover Del Rosario said, "When weather improves, a re-evaluation will be made.” Strong waves have rocked ships in Philippine seas for the past week as Typhoon Butchoy approached the country. It is expected not to make landfall but has brought rains and rough seas. The DFA has not said if Chinese ships remain in the area, and has not responded to queries on the matter. Both the Philippines and China imposed indefinite fishing bans in the area last month, ostensibly for environmental reasons. But both countries want to avoid a situation where either country's forces arrest the other's fishermen to enforce their claim on the shoal, essentially uninhabited rocks protruding from the sea. The Philippine vessels had been stationed there to stand guard face-to-face with several "law enforcement" ships from China in a tense standoff that has dragged on for over two months. The dispute has highighted both China's territorial ambitions and the Philippines' growing assertiveness under President Aquino regarding its claims in the West Philippine Sea, long a hotbed of conflicting claims. Panatag is only about 200 kilometers from Subic Bay and a traditional shelter for fishing boats during bad weather. The dispute over the shoal began on April 10 when Philippine naval authorities attempted to arrest Chinese fishermen seen poaching in the area which the Philippines claims as part of its territory. But before Philippine authorities could make arrests, Chinese ships blocked their way, resulting in a tense standoff. China claims the shoal is part of its territory, calling it Huangyan Island. The disputed coral reef area lies 124 nautical miles from western Luzon coast. The Philippines has long considered it part of its territory based on use and has also called it Bajo de Masinloc, after the town on Zambales that claims it as part of its municipality. Based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the the shoal is well within the Philippines' 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. Despite its being a signatory to the UNCLOS, China claims ownership of the marine area which is 470 nautical miles from its nearest Hainan province. -- LBG/HS, GMA News