PH Navy calls out China's 'false narrative' of actions vs. PH ships in Scarborough

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday dismissed as a "false narrative" China's claim that it took "control measures" against Philippine ships in the Scarborough Shoal.

According to a Reuters' report, the China Coast Guard (CCG) accused Philippine ships of allegedly operating illegally in the area. 

"This is a false narrative to support a false claim," Philippine Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad told GMA News Online in a message when asked about the matter.

Trinidad, in a press briefing, said they are still checking and coordinating with partner agencies if there is a new incident involving Chinese and Philippine ships in the area.

"Any control measures instituted by the People’s Liberation Army Navy, the Chinese Coast Guard, or the maritime militia within our exclusive economic zone are all illegal,” he said.

“Whatever information they bring out to the information domain, it is all part of their shaping operations to justify again their illegal presence and their coercive and aggressive actions,” he added.

GMA News Online has also sought comment from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on the matter but it has yet to respond as of posting time. 

China has approved plans to turn Scarborough Shoal—which Beijing calls Huangyan Island and which is known in the Philippines as the Panatag Shoal—into a national nature reserve, without announcing its specific boundaries.

According to Reuters, analysts said the move amounted to China trying to take the moral high ground in the dispute between Beijing and Manila over the atoll.

The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest over China's plan for Scarborough Shoal.

"On September 16, the China Coast Guard took control measures against a number of Philippine officials vessels operating illegally in the territorial waters of the Scarborough Shoal in accordance with the law," the China Coast Guard said on its official WeChat, a social media platform.

Scarborough Shoal is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-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. — VDV/VBL, GMA Integrated News