The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has conducted 28 successful rotation and reprovision (RORE) missions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last year and "less than half" of them were obstructed by China, a Philippine Navy (PN) official revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for WPS, said the interference all occurred in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, which has recently been a flashpoint in the South China Sea due to the numerous encounters between Philippines and Chinese vessels.
"Of the 28 missions, all were conducted successfully, the parameter of which is successful delivery of supplies and rotation of the troops. On the number of incidents that there were illegal actions by the maritime militia or the China Coast Guard, I would say less than half of that, there was interference," Trinidad said in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
The resupply mission in the WPS is not only intended for troops in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. In total, the AFP brings supplies to Filipino sailors and marines manning the nine features occupied by the Philippines in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) or Spratly Islands.
These are in Ayungin Shoal, Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, Rizal (Commodore) Reef, Patag (Flat) Island, Panata (Loaita Cay) Island, Kota (Loaita) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, Parola (Northeast Cay) Island, and Likas (West York) Island.
Trinidad said that of the 28 resupply missions last year, 14 of them were held in Ayungin Shoal while the rest were in the eight other features in KIG.
"There were specifically 14 RORE missions for Ayungin. Of these 14, three encountered illegal actions or harassment by the maritime militia or coast guard," he said.
These happened during the August, November and December resupply missions where Chinese vessels fired water cannons against the Philippine team.
But based on historical data provided by the AFP and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the past, there were other missions where Chinese vessels also cut across the bow of Philippine vessels, used lasers, and conducted dangerous maneuvers and blockades.
"The presence of militia or the coast guard would not directly mean illegal actions or harassment," Trinidad said.
"In spite of all the challenges that we face, it will not dampen our spirit nor weaken our resolve to ensure that our integrity is protected and our territory is secured," he stressed.
2024 resupply
For this year, the AFP has conducted two resupply missions in the WPS.
The latest mission was held last Feb. 2 and 3 in Ayungin Shoal, while the other one was in eight other features in KIG in January. Aside from that, the AFP also conducted an airdrop mission to bring supplies to the troops last month.
For the most recent resupply run, the AFP chartered indigenous boat Unaizah Mae 1 to bring the provisions to the troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost. They were supported by PCG vessels.
Unlike the tense resupply runs last year, the latest mission was described as a "flawless" operation by the AFP since there was no interference from China although it deployed maritime militia and coast guard vessels near the area.
"It's not the first time that there was no interference, no illegal moves by the maritime militia, their coast guard, or the PLA Navy. We have had activities in the past RORE missions that there was no interference at all," Trinidad said.
Despite the sudden change in the approach of Chinese vessels towards Filipino resupply missions in Ayungin Shoal, the China Coast Guard said it "drove away" a Philippine vessel over the weekend.
China Coast Guard was alluding to Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua, which has been conducting routine patrol mission in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) last Friday, according to maritime security expert Ray Powell, director of SeaLight project at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
"That is a claim they gave. From our end, we just conduct our mandate. They may say what they want to say but we just continue with our mandate," Trinidad said.