THE Armed Forces on Tuesday successfully brought troops and supplies to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea, the military reported yesterday.
Several Chinese vessels were monitored during the conduct of the routine rotation and resupply (RORE) mission but did not interfere, said Col. Xerxes Trinidad, AFP public affairs chief.
“Despite the presence of these foreign vessels, the entire operation was completed without confrontation or untoward incident,” he said.
The shoal is occupied by a number of Filipino troops billeted at the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting Navy ship which was grounded at the feature in 1999 to serve as military outpost.
China is claiming almost the entire South China Sea.
Trinidad said the latest RORE is the sixth consecutive mission since July last year that was not marked by any untoward incident.
It was in July last year when Filipino and Chinese diplomats convened the 9th Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM), during which they reached “provisional arrangement” on the conduct of RORE missions to de-escalate tension in the area.
Prior to the convening of the 9th BCM, the Chinese have harassed RORE missions at the shoal. The last incident of Chinese harassment was in June last year when a Filipino sailor lost a finger and Philippine Navy equipment were damaged.
“This (latest) RORE was executed in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and was completed with no untoward incident,” Trinidad said
He also said the Armed Forces conducted the RORE as part of its “resolute commitment to maintaining its presence and operational readiness” in the WPS.
“The completion of this mission reaffirms the AFP’s commitment not only to supporting our defenders in the WPS, but more importantly to upholding the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights, not only for today’s generation but for those to come,” added Trinidad.
