Teodoro: No change in PH stance despite increased China presence in Ayungin Shoal

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Monday that there will be no adjustments in the stance of the Philippines despite the increased presence of China in Ayungin Shoal.

“Wala (Nothing),” Teodoro said in an ambush interview when asked if the Philippines will adjust its stance in light of China’s increased activity around the shoal, where the Philippine Navy’s BRP Sierra Madre is grounded.

“To change our stance will be great detriment of our national interest. That is something nobody can do under our Constitution and our moral obligation,” he added.

According to Teodoro, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stressed that the Philippines should not compromise its national interest.

The Defense chief noted that many countries are supporting and sharing the same interest as the Philippines. 

While the BRP Sierra Madre crew are not considered to be under threat yet, Teodoro said that they are always alert amid the increased Chinese presence in the area.

“At this time, wala po kaming nakikita. But of course, laging listo. Hindi mo alam kung ano ang nasa isip nung mga yan,” he added.

(At this time, we don't see that the BRP Sierra Madre crew are under threat. But of course, they are always on alert. You never know what's on the minds of the Chinese personnel.)

ALON military exercise

For Teodoro, the increased number of Chinese vessels in Ayungin Shoal was possibly due to the ongoing ALON military drills between the Philippines and Australia.

Teodoro, meanwhile, said that they have yet to confirm if the Chinese personnel roaming around Ayungin Shoal were armed. 

He also called fake news the reports that BRP Sierra Madre was towed away by China as well as the claim of a supposed Chinese scholar that Batanes was allegedly part of Beijing.

“Talagang magkakaroon ng disinformation (There will definitely be disinformation),” he said.

The World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

Ayungin Shoal is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands. The shoal (also called Second Thomas Shoal) is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News