RoRe mission to BRP Sierra Madre completed without untoward incident —AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Wednesday it has completed a rotation and resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on Tuesday. 

In a statement, the AFP said no untoward incident occurred during the mission. 

“This RORE was executed in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and was completed with no untoward incident,” the AFP said. 

“The completion of this mission, reaffirms the AFP’s commitment not only to supporting our defenders in the WPS, but more importantly to upholding the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights—not only for today’s generation but for those to come,” it added.

AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said that this is the sixth consecutive RoRe mission to BRP Sierra Madre without any untoward incident.

The consecutive missions without untoward incidents were conducted on the following dates: 

• 27 July 2024
• 26 September 2024
• 14 November 2024
• 12 December 2024 
• 24 January 2025
• 04 March 2025

“This milestone highlights the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ unwavering commitment to ensuring continuous logistical and operational support to our personnel, despite the challenging security environment in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.

According to Trinidad, several Chinese vessels were monitored in the general area but the entire operation was completed without any confrontation or untoward incident.

China Coast Guard on Wednesday said it monitored a Philippine civilian boat delivering daily provisions to the "illegally grounded" warship at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

In a statement Wednesday, the China Coast Guard said China urges the Philippines to honor its commitments, stop hyping up incidents in the area and work with China to manage the maritime situation.

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.

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).

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. —with a report from Reuters/AOL/RSJ/KG, GMA Integrated News