AFP ready should Chinese vessels return to Ayungin Shoal

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured Tuesday it is prepared to confront Chinese vessels should they return to Ayungin Shoal after Filipino troops drove away Chinese fishing boats from the disputed area within the West Philippine Sea.

"Kung bumalik man sila, handa naman tayo na ipatupad natin 'yung ating sovereign rights within Ayungin Shoal. Kung may mamataan tayo na mapasok doon, we will do the same thing," Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS), said in a press briefing.

(If they return, we will be ready to enforce our sovereign rights within Ayungin Shoal. If we spot any intrusion, we will do the same thing.)

On Sunday, the AFP reported that "unauthorized" Chinese fishing boats were monitored near Ayungin Shoal on October 24.

"In adherence to established protocols, AFP personnel promptly escorted the unauthorized fishing boats out of the area and confiscated bottles containing suspected cyanide chemicals reportedly used for destructive fishing," the AFP said.

Trinidad reiterated that AFP's Western Command opted to escort the unauthorized fishing boats out of the area to avoid compromising the security and operations of the BRP Sierra Madre, the Philippines' grounded outpost at Ayungin Shoal.

Meanwhile, National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Alexander Lopez said the Philippine Navy does not have the protocol to bring foreigners to the nearest station in mainland Palawan.

"The Navy cannot have it as a protocol. Kaya nga, minabuti nila na i-release nila [at] baka i-charge po tayo for humanitarian reasons pa," Lopez said.

(The nearest station will be mainland Palawan, so the Navy cannot have it as a protocol. That's why they decided to release them to avoid being charged for humanitarian reasons.)

Ayungin Shoal—called Ren'ai Reef by China—is a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands.

It is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan and is within the country's 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its continental shelf.

By the numbers

In its 2025 third quarter report, the NMC said China engaged in 78 "illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive" acts.

These are: radio challenges (13), ramming (1), dangerous maneuvers (7), firing of water cannon (2), laying of nets (10), blocking (8), and shadowing (37).

Daily monitored Chinese vessels in the WPS were reported in the following areas:

• Pagasa Island: 27
• Ayungin Shoal: 10
• Bajo de Masinloc: 14
• Escoda Shoal: 11

As of October, Lopez said the Department of Foreign Affairs filed 49 diplomatic protests against China in 2025.

PH missions

Meanwhile, vessels that conducted surface operations include eight from the AFP, eight from the PCG, and 14 Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The AFP also deployed two aircraft for air operations, while PCG deployed one and BFAR dispatched two.

From July to September 2025, the AFP conducted 25 rotation and resupply missions in the following stations:

• BRP Sierra Madre: 1
• Lawak Island: 3
• Parola: 3
• Patag: 3
• Panata: 3
• Likaw: 3
• Kota: 3
• Rizal Reef: 3
• Pag-asa Island: 3

— VDV, GMA Integrated News