The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) bared Friday, Nov. 15, that it successfully brought food and other provisions for troops guarding the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) military outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The rotation and reprovison (RORE) mission held on Thursday, Nov. 14, yielded “no untoward incidents”, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, AFP public affairs office chief, said.
The AFP did not provide further details of the resupply mission although Trinidad confirmed that the mission was made successful through the assistance provided by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
“The AFP continues to uphold its mandate of safeguarding Philippine sovereignty and ensuring the welfare of its stationed personnel in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.
But in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal), China reportedly deployed militia vessels to block the entry of Filipino vessels.
American maritime security analyst Ray Powell said five big Qiong Sansha Yu militia ships were sent by Beijing to Bajo de Masinloc on Nov. 13 which were joined by three China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels “to block access by the Philippines' security [and] fishing vessels.”
Ayungin Shoal, located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, and Bajo de Masinloc, located 124 nautical miles from Zambales, are both within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
But China continues to maintain its presence in the said features, claiming that these are part of their territory. In 2016, an arbitral ruling invalidated China’s dash-line claims in the South China Sea after the Philippines protested its incursions, but the Asian superpower continues to ignore the decision.