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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider AFP: No need for PH to seek China permission to conduct resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal

AFP: No need for PH to seek China permission to conduct resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal

Published May 24, 2025 12:09 pm
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel aboard MV Lapu-Lapu sails toward BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal, West Philippine Sea on May 16, 2025 to deliver essential supplies during a rotation and resupply mission. (Photo: AFP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel aboard MV Lapu-Lapu sails toward BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal, West Philippine Sea on May 16, 2025 to deliver essential supplies during a rotation and resupply mission. (Photo: AFP)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied on Friday, May 23, the claim by China that it supervised the military’s recent rotation and resupply (Rore) mission to BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In a statement, the AFP said that it does not, and will never, need to seek permission from any foreign state to conduct operations that assert and protect the country’s sovereign rights.

“We have sovereign rights over Ayungin Shoal. BRP Sierra Madre is a commissioned vessel of the Philippine Navy. It is our mandate to provide provisions and to rotate the men aboard the BRP Sierra Madre,” Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

“We need not seek permission from any foreign power, much more from one that has encroached to our EEZ [exclusive economic zone]. These missions will continue,” he added.

The AFP conducted the latest resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal last May 16. Commissioned vessel MV Lapu-Lapu delivered the provisions and rotated the men aboard the World War II-era vessel.

“There were four coast guard ships of China that were spotted but they did not do any coercive nor aggressive actions,” Trinidad noted.

This has been the eighth unimpeded Rore mission since July 27, 2024, according to Trinidad.

The China Coast Guard (CCG) claimed it “allowed and supervised” the Rore mission to Ren'ai Jiao, the name it calls Ayungin Shoal.

According to the CCG, the Philippines sent a civilian vessel to deliver daily supplies to the grounded warship “with the permission of the Chinese side” as it “conducted inquiries, verification and full supervision of the Philippine vessel throughout the operation.”

The AFP, however, rejected the Chinese narrative, saying it was “clearly meant to mislead the international community and project control where they have no basis to do so.”

“The facts remain unchanged: Ayungin Shoal lies within the Philippine exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. We have every right to be there and to conduct our routine activities in accordance with international and domestic laws,” it said.

Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan, within the Philippines' 200-nautical mile EEZ. China claims the shoal as part of its territory based on the so-called 10-dash line, but the claim has already been invalidated by a 2016 international arbitral ruling.

The AFP said it will continue to fulfill its mandate of resupplying the BRP Sierra Madre with professionalism and resolve. Further, it urged the public and the international community to remain vigilant against "deliberate disinformation that threatens regional peace and stability."

Related Tags

AFP resupply mission BRP Sierra Madre Ayungin Shoal WPS PH-China misinformation disinformation
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