PH Navy airdrops supplies to BRP Sierra Madre — source

FILE PHOTO: The BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy warship that now serves as military outpost, keeps watch over Ayungin (Second Thomas), located within the country’s exclusive economic zone. Nearby are Chinese coast guard and militia vessels in this shot taken on February 21, 2023, during an aerial surveillance by the Philippine Coast Guard. Philippine Daily Inquirer/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — Personnel of the BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy outpost in the West Philippine Sea, received their supplies through airdropping over the weekend, a senior military official confirmed on Tuesday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to select reports which included INQUIRER.net, said the airdrop mission conducted by a Philippine Navy Islander maritime patrol aircraft NV314 was conducted on Sunday at 8:49 am.

According to the source, the airdropped supplies will last for “one to two weeks.”

The confirmation was made as leaked photos of the military’s supposed successful airdrop mission at the BRP Sierra Madre were posted on X (formerly Twitter) by an unofficial account @ALT_wps on Sunday.

The paradrop was conducted in lieu of the usual sending of supplies using ships as one of the boats sustained damage.

READ: Airdrop of supplies to BRP Sierra Madre possible, says AFP

This was not the first time an airdrop was made to send provisions for the Navy outpost. In 2014, the military evaded a Chinese sea blockade by using an airplane to drop food to the crew of BRP Sierra Madre.

The Rore mission of the Philippines in the BRP Sierra Madre — a Navy ship grounded in Ayungin Shoal since 1999 — became the flashpoint of tension between Manila and Beijing.

In 2023 alone, the China Coast Guard (CCG) resorted to usage of military-grade laser once and water cannon at least four times against Philippine vessels in resupply missions in the sand bank.

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

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

Beijing’s actions are based on its assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the WPS, but an international tribunal ruling in 2016 effectively dismissed this while ruling heavily in favor of Manila.