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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