THE Armed Forces has brought Christmas packages and other supplies to Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea without any Chinese interference.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said the supplies were delivered by different vessels from December 3 to 14.
“The activities were conducted successfully,” Trinidad told a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, referring to the 12-day rotation and reprovisioning (RORE) mission.
Asked if the Chinese harassed the mission, Trinidad said, “There were no untoward incidents monitored. However, there were two Chinese Coast Guard and two PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy ships in the vicinity.”
He said the Chinese vessels were monitored near Ayungin Shoal. Troops occupying the shoal are billeted at the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusting Navy ship that was grounded in the area in 1999.
“(They were) just in the vicinity doing nothing, no illegal actions, no coercive actions,” said Trinidad.
China’s Coast Guard said on Tuesday that the Philippines sent a civilian vessel to deliver the provisions to an “illegally grounded” warship at Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) on December 12 “with China’s permission.”
The AFP said the resupply mission delivered “essential life support and sustainment provisions” and included Christmas packages to boost morale for soldiers who will be away from their families during the festive season.
Aside from Ayungin Shoal, other features occupied by Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea are Pag-asa Island, Kota Island, Lawak Island, Likas Island, Panata Island, Parola Island, Patag Island, and Rizal Reef.
“The highlight of the RORE was the `noche buena’ packages of our troops (for Christmas),” said Trinidad.
‘VERY SUCCESSFUL’
Asked if the military is expecting China to be aggressive next year, Trinidad just said, “What we could expect is your AFP will keep performing its mandate amid all the challenges internally and externally.”
Trinidad said the 2024 was a “very successful year” not only for the AFP but for the entire country insofar as West Philippine Sea is concerned.
“The AFP was able to perform its mandate amid all the challenges that we face, not only in the West Philippine Sea but to include the northern islands and even the eastern seaboard. We look forward to more accomplishments of the AFP in the year 2025,” added Trinidad.
Asked why the Chinese did not harass the latest mission, Trinidad said he does not want to speculate.
“There may be other instruments of government at work, maybe other government agencies. But as far as the Department of National Defense is concerned, the AFP is concerned, we’ll keep performing our mandate of doing the RORE missions,” he said.
Trinidad said the military is prepared “for any possibility,” referring to possible Chinese harassment.
“We perform our mandate, we conduct our RORE. Any developments, the AFP is prepared to respond to. It was conducted without any untoward incident this time,” he added.
Trinidad could not immediately say how many incidents of Chinese harassment were recorded this year in the West Philippine this year.
“I will have to do an annual analysis to be able to compare 2024 and the previous years,” he said.
Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the country will not send Navy ships to support Filipino fishermen in another contested feature, Scarborough Shoal,
On December 4, Chinese Coast Guard vessels fired a water cannon and side-swiped a Manila fisheries bureau boat transporting supplies to Filipino fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, according to Philippine officials.
China’s coast guard said Philippine ships “dangerously approached” Beijing’s territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal.
Tension between China and the Philippines has escalated throughout the year over the disputes in the South China Sea, which China claims nearly the entirety of.
Parts of the vital waterway, where more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce takes place, are also claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Beijing rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law. – With Reuters
