Smoke seen in BRP Sierra Madre from fire drill, PH Navy says

The Philippine Navy on Tuesday said the smoke seen at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal came from a fire drill, denying Chinese state media’s report that the crew was allegedly causing pollution.

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Roy Vincent Trinidad said the fire drill was conducted on February 28.

“The exercise for this particular activity was a fire drill. And they usually use combustible materials, yung madaling masunog na materials. It so happened because of the strong winds, napalakas, but they were able to put everything under control,” he said in a press briefing.

Trinidad said there was no damage to the environment and all the men aboard the ship are safe.

He also said that any Philippine Navy warships conduct operational exercises to ensure their survivability and operational readiness.

In a report on Sunday, Chinese state broadcaster CGTN reported that BRP Sierra Madre conducted a burning activity that produced heavy smoke.

“Recent video footage shows environmentally damaging activities onboard the vessel…Heavy smoke is seen from an apparent burning activity on a grounded Philippine military vessel,” the CGTN said.

For Trinidad, the report of the Chinese state media was “part of the deceptive messaging of the Chinese Communist Party."

The World War II-era BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal since 1999. The ship has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

Ayungin Shoal is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands. It is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the Philippines 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

On January 16, the Philippines and China agreed to an indefinite implementation of their arrangement in Ayungin Shoal.

Signed in July 2024, the provisional agreement seeks to avoid altercations and ease tensions after a violent confrontation on June 17, 2024 at the Philippine-occupied area.

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China has refused to recognize the decision. — BAP, GMA Integrated News