Airdrop of supplies to BRP Sierra Madre possible, says AFP

Members of a resupply mission reach the grounded naval ship BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, one of the nine outposts guarding the West Philippine Sea, to replenish supplies for its troops. (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

MANILA, Philippines — The airdrop of supplies for the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57) in the West Philippine Sea could be an option, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad made the statement when asked about social media reports that the AFP airdropped goods in BRP Sierra Madre in its latest rotation and resupply (RORE) mission over the weekend.

“We cannot comment on the operational details,” Trinidad said.

“Again, such an option has been part of the operational mix that the AFP employs to support emergency supplies needed by our troops in LS57 given a short period of time.”

The AFP, however, said that the latest resupply mission was aborted over the weekend due to technical issues in one of its supply boats.

In 2014, the AFP evaded a Chinese sea blockade by using an airplane to drop food to the crew of BRP Sierra Madre.

The resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre — a Navy ship grounded at the Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as an outpost for marines  — became the flashpoint of tension between Manila and Beijing.

READ: 2023: A lookback at rising tension in West PH Sea

In 2023 alone, the China Coast Guard resorted to using a military-grade laser once and water cannon at least four times against Philippine vessels in resupply missions in the sandbank.

The CCG also routinely blocked and conducted what the Philippine government deemed to be “dangerous maneuvers” against its vessels.