AFP conducts ‘flawless’ resupply mission for BRP Sierra Madre

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said its resupply mission on Friday to the BRP Sierra Madre in the West Philippine Sea was a success.

“Mission accomplished! Today, we executed a flawless rotation and resupply operation for BRP Sierra Madre. Teamwork, precision, and dedication at its best,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter).

No further details were available as of posting.

Last month, the resupply fleet for the BRP Sierra Madre was aborted due to a technical issue, prompting the AFP to use airdrop to bring supplies for its personnel, according to a source.

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

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

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

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

READ: PH Navy airdrops supplies to BRP Sierra Madre — source