Coast Guard holds flag rites in West Philippine Sea amid Chinese presence
MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard held a flag-raising ceremony in the West Philippine Sea to commemorate the country’s Independence Day, notwithstanding the presence of Chinese militia ships there.

According to PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo, personnel aboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua conducted the rites off Escoda (Sabina) Shoal at 8am on Wednesday (June 12).

Balilo said 12 Chinese maritime militia ships were spotted near the shoal while the ceremony was being conducted.

The PCG deployed BRP Teresa Magbanua last April 16 amid suspected reclamation in the shoal, which falls 75 nautical miles from the coast of Palawan or well within the country’s exclusive economic zone.

On May 10, the PCG found crushed corals were dumped in the shoal in a development that it said could be a prelude to the emergence of an artificial island there.

On June 4, the Chinese Navy conducted drills within the vicinity waters of Sabina Shoal, which also saw the first-ever presence of two hovercraft capable of landing in maritime features in the West Philippine Sea.

Beijing asserts sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

Beijing continues to reject this landmark ruling. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Philippines,flag,coast guard,sea,independence
MANILA: The Philippine Coast Guard held a flag-raising ceremony in the West Philippine Sea to commemorate the country’s Independence Day, notwithstanding the presence of Chinese militia ships there.