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A 97-meter Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) 97-meter built in Japan returned home Sunday after staying in Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea for five months.

BRP Teresa Magbanua sustained damage from the ramming of a Chinese Coast Guard ship and must undergo repairs plus for its crew to seek medical attention, said Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, also chairman of the National Maritime Council (NMC) in a statement Sunday.

A new PCG ship will be sent to the shoal, which is in the Philippines exclusive economic zone but is being claimed by China using its ten-dash line.

"The PCG ship was directed to be within the vicinity of the shoal since yesterday (September 14), weather permitting," NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez told reporters in a Viber message.

BRP Teresa Magbanua left Saturday afternoon, he said.

Lopez said the decision to bring BRP Teresa Magbanua home was not based on China's demands for the Philippines to pull out the ship but on ''operational factors.''

He did not disclose the name of the new PCG ship.

"We will keep on monitoring and documenting any illegal activities from the other side for our strategic purpose," Lopez said.

Lopez said bringing a new ship to the shoal seeks to prevent an incident in 2012, when China put up barriers in Scarborough Shoal after the country withdrew.

"Scarborough Shoal is a lesson learned for us, so again our, 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.

BRP Teresa Magbanua was deployed to Escoda Shoal, a coral reef formation located only 70 nautical miles from Palawan, last April in response to reports that China may be starting reclamation.

On August 31, a China Coast Guard vessel rammed BRP Teresa Magbanua three times.

No one was hurt, but the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is mulling over filing another arbitral case against China. DMS