The Philippines will maintain its presence at Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, as the previously anchored BRP Teresa Magbanua has left the area, National Maritime Council spokesperson, Undersecretary Alex Lopez, said on Sunday. 

Lopez said the Philippine Coast Guard’s largest vessel departed Escoda on Saturday and reached Puerto Princesa on Sunday afternoon. 

“Our presence will be sustained and we will keep on monitoring and documenting any or all illegal activities ng kabila (of the other side) for our strategic purpose,” Lopez told reporters in a phone interview. 

Lopez did not disclose whether the Teresa Magbanua will be replaced or redeployed after repair. 

But he lamented that the Scarborough Shoal standoff will serve as a “lesson learned” for the Philippine government in defending, safeguarding, and protecting the entire WPS. 

“The government resolved—we will maintain our presence in whatever way, and we will continue to monitor and enforce our rights, exercise our rights, sovereign rights, sovereignty and jurisdiction over the area,” Lopez said. 

The government earlier said the deployment of BRP Teresa Magbanua primarily aims to track the sudden and unusual presence of crushed corals in the Escoda Shoal and determine whether it is a small-scale foreign reclamation.