China testing Philippines resolve to keep Ayungin Shoal: maritime expert

The presence of BRP Sierra Madre, the naval outpost on Ayungin Shoal that has gone rusty from wear and tear over the years, has served as a foil against China’s attempt at having full control of it, according to Jay Batongbacal. - Inquirer file photo

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): The latest reported incidents in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea illustrate China’s capacity to control the area despite its being occupied by the Philippines through the decrepit Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, according to a maritime expert.

“[The challenge is] sustaining our presence there and making sure China knows that we are serious about keeping it,” Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea told the Inquirer.