Two ships of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), BRP Tubbataha and MCS 3010, are now patrolling the Scarborough Shoal. And, China, who has exercised control over this disputed shoal since 2012, does not seem to mind now.
The ships arrived at Scarborough, which is Huangyan to the Chinese and Panatag Shoal to the Philippines, on November 5 after an instruction from the country's Department of Transportation (DOT).
According to PCG commandant Rear Admiral William Melad, DOT Secretary Arthur Tugade ordered the PCG to patrol the area. Melad confirmed on Monday that the ships have started patrolling on Saturday and that more vessels will be deployed in the future.
When asked whether there were Chinese coast guard vessels within the area and if there had been any interaction, he did not give any more details, saying that he has no clearance to disclose such information and has yet to make an official report.
But Melad related that the PCG has seen on Saturday a Filipino fishing boat.
Local news in the Philippines reported that the fishermen who had gone to the shoal returned with a very good catch.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte seemed to have kept his word when he said after his state visit in China that the Filipino fishermen can already venture again in the shoal.
With the Philippine Coast Guard's resumed patrol and the fishermen's return in the disputed South China Sea and without any harassment from the Chinese, PH-China relations may be easing up.
Even if there is still no agreement between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay of the Philippines said that he hopes these improvements were influenced by a silent diplomacy that strengthens trust and confidence between his country and China.