The Philippines said Monday it would “continuously deploy” coast guard vessels to the contested waters of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, denying it has given up on the reef a day after it withdrew a ship that had been stationed there amid a five-month standoff with China.
“The Philippine Coast Guard, together with the armed forces of the Philippines, will never abandon our sovereign rights over these waters. We are still going to sustain our presence,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela told a livestreamed news conference.
“There are already plans in place for asking for deployment,” he said, though he declined to offer details, including when this would happen, citing operational security.
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