Tatlong linggong tiniis ng mga tripulante ng BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) ang pagkain ng lugaw na tinimplahan lang ng paminta at asin, at pag-inom ng tubig mula sa ulan at tulo ng tubig mula sa airconditioning units dahil hinarang umano ng Chinese maritime forces ang mga resupply mission sa barko ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) na nagbabantay sa Escoda (Sabina) Shoal noong nakaraang buwan.

Ibinunyag ito ng Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) noong Lunes, Setyembre 16, at sinabing ito ang isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan kung bakit umalis ang BRP Teresa Magbanua sa Escoda Shoal na may mahigit 60 na tripulante. 

Nang dumating ang BRP Teresa Magbanua sa Puerto Princesa Port sa Palawan no'ng Linggo, Setyembre 15, limang buwan matapos itong ma-deploy no'ng Abril 15, apat na crew ang kinailangang isugod sa pagamutan dahil sa dehydration, acute gastroenteritis, gouty arthritis, electrolyte imbalance at heat exhaustion.

“From April, May, June, July we were able to conduct resupply missions for our personnel. It was only in August where the China Coast Guard started becoming more aggressive and prevented our coast guard vessels, particularly the 44-meters, to do the resupply for our personnel. That means that starting [in] August, that was when the problem on supplies began,” saad ni PCG West Philippine Sea spokesperson Jay Tarriela.

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Dahil sa kakulangan ng suplay, "lugaw" lang daw ang kinain ng mga tripulante. at pagdating naman sa inuming tubig, kaya ng BRP Teresa Magbanua na mag-generate ng fresh water mula sa seawater gamit ang desalinator machine. 

“Ang kinain lang nila for almost three weeks ay lugaw. But because of a prolonged stay and usage of the desalinator machine, it would require brand new filters for them to convert salt water to potable drinking water. Because of the prolonged usage, it no longer produces fresh water,” dagdag pa ni Tarriela. 

“They went through to the point that for more than one month now, ang iniinom na lang nilang tubig came from the rainwater. Sa mga pagkakataon na walang ulan, they even have to gather water doon sa airconditioning units na napoproduce and they’re just going to boil it and that will be used for drinking and also for cooking."

Sa exclusive report ng GMA News, ibinahagi sa kanila ng isa sa mga tripulante na paminta't asin lang ang timpla ng lugaw dahil iyon lang ang mayroon sila.

“Rice porridge na lang po… Paminta and asin, sir, kasi ‘yun na lang naiwan sa amin,” saad ni Ensign Janey Anne Paloma sa GMA News. “Meron po kaming mga tropa na nahihilo kasi gutom, kumakalam yung tiyan sa gabi."

Samantala, magde-deploy muli ang PCG ng iba pang barko para palitan ang BRP Teresa Magbanua. 

“I would like to highlight [that] we have not lost anything. We can still patrol and maintain our presence in Escoda Shoal,” saad ng PCG spokesperson.

“It is important for us to highlight and emphasize that Escoda Shoal is a low-tide elevation, has a distance of 72 nautical miles from Palawan, and it is within our own exclusive economic zone. We have sovereign rights over these waters. 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 in these waters,” dagdag pa niya.