South China Sea: Philippines advised to stake claim on disputed shoal with civilian site

Analysts are divided over an ex-Philippine chief justice’s proposal to build a civilian structure on the Second Thomas Shoal

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Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. pinning a medal on a Navy personnel, who was wounded during a Philippine resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 3:02pm, 21 Jun 2024Updated: 5:52pm, 21 Jun 2024

A former chief justice in the Philippines has suggested that the government replace a military outpost in the South China Sea with a civilian structure to ensure a legal advantage for Manila to file a tribunal complaint against Chinese interference.

The proposal is among several suggestions by Antonio Carpio, a former Supreme Court judge, following one of the most controversial clashes between Manila and Beijing in the Second Thomas Shoal, where Philippine troops are stationed on a grounded vessel in the disputed waters.

Observers say Carpio’s suggestion carried weight but Manila still has to brace for a worst-case scenario in which the Chinese forcibly take over the Philippines’ military outpost. The military-to-civilian switch could also be seen as a “retreat”, one analyst warns.

Manila and Beijing have been locked in a months-long territorial row in the South China Sea, with the latest skirmish on Monday between the Philippine navy and the Chinese coastguard causing injuries to several Filipinos, including a sailor who lost a finger.

Philippine forces were on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded World War II vessel in the Second Thomas Shoal occupied by their fellow troops. The flashpoint is known to Manila as the Ayungin Shoal, while Beijing calls it Renai Jiao. Both sides claim it is a part of their maritime territory.

A vocal advocate for the Philippines’ claims in the South China Sea, Carpio on Thursday said the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr had to first resolve a “technical problem” before it could file a new case against China before the international tribunal.