PH Navy: Chinese navy tugboat deployed but not enough to tow away BRP Sierra Madre

The Philippine Navy said the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of China has deployed a tugboat near BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Monday.

At a press briefing Tuesday, Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, however, said that this is not a cause for alarm.

“While this is not a cause for alarm, it is not also a reason for us to be prepared for them to tow away BRP Sierra Madre. It will take more than a tugboat to pull out BRP Sierra Madre,” Trinidad said.

“Our assessment is that this is more for their own use in the event that they would need a tugboat to pull out any of their ships that would run aground in the shallow portion of Ayungin Shoal,” he added.

Trinidad pointed out the PLAN deployed the tugboat for their own “defensive purposes.”

Chinese vessels within Ayungin Shoal

According to the Philippine Navy official, the number of Chinese vessels monitored in Ayungin Shoal has increased since August 20.

“For Ayungin Shoal, for the past one week, we have seen an increase in their presence. From the average of seven maritime militia vessels and two [China Coast Guard] vessels, starting 20 August, there was an increase to 20,” he said.

“Yesterday, it went down to 13 maritime militia, two coast guard vessels, and one PLA Navy tugboat,” he added.

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 is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) supported the fast-tracking of the military organization modernization program as stated by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. 

“Normally po ang aming modernization takes around 10 years to complete. So, it's done by phases. So, with this pronouncement of our DND, we really welcome that para po ma-fast track nga,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said.

(Normally our modernization program takes around 10 years to complete. So, it's done by phases. So, with this pronouncement of our DND, we really welcome that so it can be fast-tracked.)

West Philippine Sea

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