No changes in Ayungin Shoal provisional deal amid increased Chinese presence — NMC

The National Maritime Council (NMC) on Monday said no changes have been made to the provisional agreement between the Philippines and China on Ayungin Shoal despite Beijing’s increased activities in the area.

In an ambush interview, NMC spokesperson Undersecretary Alexander Lopez said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and its Chinese counterpart still continue to discuss issues regarding the disputed shoal.

“Hindi naman nabago yung provisional understanding between our country and China,” Lopez said.

(The provisional understanding between our country and China has not changed.)

“So our DFA and their counterpart are actually still talking. So we just leave it that way and we cannot just divulge the details,” he added.

Lopez also said that there will be no adjustments in the operations of the rotation and resupply missions for the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal despite the increase of Chinese presence.

“Yung mga sighting naman has been there every time meron tayo. So we take it as a usual, natural thing for us to see those Chinese vessels. Lahat naman yun meron tayong plano or whatever,” Lopez said.

(Those sightings have been there every time we have missions. So we take it as a usual, natural thing for us to see those Chinese vessels. We have a plan for all of that or whatever.)

In January this year, the Philippines and China agreed to an indefinite implementation of an arrangement for the resupply of daily necessities and rotation missions by Manila 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 Philippine Navy last August described as "escalation" the increase of Chinese vessels including boats with upgraded weapons in Ayungin Shoal.

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. The shoal 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. — RF, GMA Integrated News