PH Navy: Elevation in some features in WPS due to 'natural occurrence'

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said the elevation in some features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was a "natural occurrence" as he addressed reports of alleged reclamation in some areas.

“It is most likely attributed to a natural occurrence,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing.

Trinidad acknowledged the reports of dumping of crushed corals in Hasa-Hasa Shoal, Sabina Shoal, and Sandy Cay. However, he said no vessels were seen doing such activity.

“In our checks with our partner agencies in the maritime domain, the [Philippine Coast Guard] and [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources], this has been reported in the past. There was no noted presence of any vessel that was dumping crushed corals,” he said.

Weather disturbances

Trinidad also said that the elevation in the concerned features was possibly due to weather disturbances.

“The elevation of these features could be attributed to the weather disturbances that we encountered in the past months. So, tidal movement or weather disturbances usually pile up crashed corals on shallow portions of the WPS,” he added.

Asked if there will be more efforts to secure these WPS features considering that the natural elevation may expand the territorial sea, Trinidad said he is deferring to legal luminaries.

In April 2024, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua to monitor China's alleged reclamation activities in Sabina Shoal, as crushed corals were found dumped in the area.

The PCG said that the dumping of crushed corals near Sabina Shoal may be in preparation for China's reclamation activities to build structures on top of the maritime feature.

Claims

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 the 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. —VAL, GMA Integrated News