China claim on PH resupply missions refuted

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on the contested Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin, in the South China Sea, March 9, 2023/File Photo

The National Security Council (NSC) said on Wednesday that “there [was] nothing illegal” about the rotation and resupply missions being conducted by government troops in the West Philippine Sea after Beijing claimed a Filipino vessel “illegally landed” at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. Ayungin, an underwater feature about 195 kilometers off Palawan province, is where the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded since 1999. The dilapidated warship serves as the country’s military outpost in the West Philippine Sea. “The Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard conducted a routinary and resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin. There is nothing illegal with our resupply missions,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya told the Inquirer. His statement echoed the Armed Forces’ position that the resupply missions were legitimate. Over the weekend, Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, AFP spokesperson, said the Philippines conducted “a flawless” resupply mission by sea, the first this year, to troops on the BRP Sierra Madre. Malaya also denied China’s report that it drove away a PCG vessel patrolling at Scarborough Shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc. “This ‘driving away’ story is a figment of their imagination,” he said. —NESTOR CORRALES