11 Chinese warships seen at Escoda Shoal after BRP Teresa Magbanua pullout

MANILA, Philippines — Eleven warships from China were meandering near the vicinity of Sabina (Escoda) Shoal last week, part of a record-high number of Chinese vessels spotted in the West Philippine Sea, according to the Philippine Navy. 

While the numbers are still within China's "force projection capability" or its total number of ships in the South China Sea, the Philippine Navy's spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea noted that it is a surge. 

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"It's the first time we have monitored that number [of Chinese warships] close to Sabina Shoal," Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a press briefing on Tuesday, September 24. 

The number of Chinese ships crowding Sabina Shoal — a feature deep within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone — has climbed to 82 from the previous week's 65, based on the Philippine Navy's monitoring from September 17 to 23. 

The 11 reported sighting of People's Liberation Army navy ships near Sabina Shoal is twice more than the four that were spotted the previous week, based on Philippine Navy data. 

Chinese vessels' show of force near the disputed feature comes a day after the Philippines pulled out the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) flagship vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua from Sabina Shoal on September 16, five months after it was deployed there.

The Philippines recalled the PCG ship — which was sent to Sabina Shoal in April amid China's alleged reclamation activities there — due to the need to medically evacuate its personnel and bad weather.

Since then, the National Maritime Council has repeatedly said that a replacement ship or a fleet would take BRP Teresa Magbanua's place. But government officials refuse to disclose the exact details of the new deployment due to a new strategy of keeping China in the dark. 

Trinidad on Tuesday said China does not have de facto control of Sabina Shoal. 

"They could surge the number of ships to a particular shoal. We don't care. What is important is we still have the freedom of action to continue performing our mandate," Trinidad added.

The Philippine Navy official added that he sees no reason for China to block Sabina Shoal. 

"This is not like patintero where our ships will block them," Trinidad said in mixed FIlipino and English.

"The objective of the Navy, the Coast Guard... and the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines is to monitor the developments with our fishers in the West Philippine Sea. And there are many ways to monitor, it can be done physically or with the different systems we have," he added.

Without baring the specifics of the Philippines' presence at Escoda Shoal, Trinidad maintained that "there was never any time that the AFP did not maintain a presence" in the feature.

When asked if the Philippine government has considered driving away Chinese vessels at the disputed feature, Trinidad said: "There are many approaches that could be taken. We haven't exhausted yet all approaches."

Before its withdrawal, the BRP Teresa Magbanua suffered structural damage after the Chinese Coast Guard repeatedly rammed it on August 31, creating a man-sized hole in the vessel.

During its five-month deployment to Escoda Shoal, the lone BRP Teresa Magbanua was repeatedly encircled by a larger flotilla of Chinese vessels. It also dealt with diminished supplies due to bad weather, leaving its crew dehydrated and malnourished.