There is no existing agreement for the Philippines to remove the grounded BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and if there is, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday, Aug. 9, that he is repealing any such agreement.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
“I’m not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its ship, in this case, the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal,” the President said.
“And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now,” he added.
Marcos spoke in a video message posted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on its social media pages.
This was in response to China Foreign Ministry’s claim that the Philippines promised to tow away the BRP Sierra Madre from the shoal, which it calls Ren’ai Jiao.
The grounded military ship has been at the Ayungin Shoal since 1999 to emphasize the Philippines’ rights and jurisdiction there. It also serves as a military outpost with members of the Philippine military stationed there.
Ayungin is located 104 nautical miles west of Palawan and is well within the Philippines' 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
However, it is also claimed by China through its nine-dash line.
This was the basis of the Aug. 5 incident when a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel water cannoned Philippine vessels en route to BRP Sierra Madre to bring supplies to military troops there.
Beijing’s claim of the entire South China Sea, including features inside the EEZs of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan, raised regional tensions, with several countries urging it to abide by international laws and rulings, including the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling awarded to Manila.