BRP Sierra Madre resupplied amid new CCG harassment
Zubiri: Only barbarians at the gate will delight in seeing soldiers on a peaceful mission denied food.
Daily TribuneZubiri: Only barbarians at the gate will delight in seeing soldiers on a peaceful mission denied food.
(AFP File Photo)
China attempted anew to block a Philippine resupply mission to the latter's permanent outpost in the West Philippine Sea, the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed this yesterday, saying that Chinese ships conducted dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels conducting a third rotation and logistics run to the Sierra Madre.
Nonetheless, the AFP Western Command and the Philippine Coast Guard successfully delivered fresh troops and supplies to the World War 2-era ship, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS).
AFP spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, said the government will remain firm in asserting the country's sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal, it being part of its exclusive economic zone.
"The unprofessional acts and dangerous maneuvers conducted by the China Coast Guard and its maritime militia will never prevail over our conduct of legal and legitimate operations that support a rules-based international order," he added.
Nansha Islands
China defended its attempt to intercept the Philippine vessels by saying the two replenishment ships and two PCG vessels entered waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef in its so-called Nansha Islands.
It claimed the PCG and AFP boats entered the area "without the permission of the Chinese government."
"The China Coast Guard strictly warned the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law, tracked and monitored the vessels all the way and effectively regulated them," CCG spokesperson Gan Yu said in an interview.
Yun averred that Beijing has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Nansha Islands, including Ren'ai Reef and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the illegal transportation of construction materials by the Philippines to the grounded warship.
"The China Coast Guard will continue to carry out law enforcement activities in the sea areas under China's jurisdiction according to the law," Yu said.
Yu's comments earned a rebuke from the NTF-WPS, describing the CCG actions as illegal, aggressive, and destabilizing. It may be remembered that the CCG used a water cannon against a Sierra Madre resupply mission earlier.
"We reiterate and reemphasize that these operations are pursuant to our government's legitimate exercise of its administrative functions and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea, firmly anchored on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," the NTF-WPS said.
Humanitarian mission
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate is "constantly monitoring" developments in the WPS.
"This is a humanitarian resupply mission. Only barbarians at the gate will delight in seeing soldiers on a peaceful mission denied food," he said.
"As long as the law and truth are on our side, illegal barriers to what is ours will continue to be pierced — by the sharp tip of world opinion that upholds our cause as just," he added.
He said the Senate is ready to assist the AFP and the PCG through their budgets for the coming fiscal year "with the aim of developing a credible self-defense posture that will allow them to continue protecting our country and our people."
