The Philippines will not allow reclamation by China in Sabina (Escoda) Shoal, a military official said, confirming that aside from the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, the Philippine Navy has also deployed a warship to monitor the area.

"This time around there was no noticed presence of those dredgers but we saw the result, a lot of crushed corals so as if Sabina Shoal is growing so we could say this is one particular attempt to reclaim, to build up an artificial island. but we are on top of the situation," Philippine Navy spokesman for West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad told reporters on Tuesday.

"The Coast Guard is there, the Navy is there. We would like to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2012, 2013. We will not allow that of course because it is well within the sovereign rights and sovereignty of the Philippines," he added, as he recalled the reclamation of China in its occupied features including the Mischief or Panganiban Reef, Subi Reef and Cuarteron Reef.

"The Coast Guard has a regular presence there. The Navy has increased its patrols in Sabina shoal and for the past good number of days we have had one warship stationed in the area. This is to ensure that whoever is doing that, we are not sure who is doing that, whoever is piling up their corals on Sabina Shoal, we will be able to expose their activities," he said.

Trinidad noted that Sabina Shoal is well within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as it is closer to mainland Palawan than Ayungin Shoal.

He said Ayungin Shoal is 20 nautical miles east of Mischief Reef, a feature of Kalayaan Island Group that was occupied and developed by China into a military base while Sabina Shoal is around 35 nautical miles east of Ayungin shoal which is well within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

"We would like to ensure that this will remain within the sovereign rights of the country, hence the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy are taking cognizance of that, of the unusual pile up of dead corals," he added. Robina Asido/DMS