The Armed Forces of the Philippines has already submitted a letter demanding the Chinese government to compensate the country’s military equipment that was damaged during Beijing’s most recent harassment and intimidation acts against Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea.

AFP chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr., said the letter has already reached the Department of National Defense for proper coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs so that it will be conveyed to the Chinese government. 

“I already wrote a letter to our [Secretary of National Defense], letter could be also transmitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs, for them to reach out to their counterparts in China,” he shared.

Brawner said he also demanded the return of seven firearms that the China Coast Guard looted during the rotational and re-provisional (RORE) mission on 17 June.

These firearms were disassembled and placed in gun cases, he added. 

The AFP chief lamented the CCG personnel intentionally destroyed the military’s equipment. 

“When we estimated the cost of the damage, it was 60 million pesos. We are demanding that China pay 60 million pesos for the damage that they caused during that [incident],” Brawner stressed. 

He noted that the P60 million cost of damages still excludes the medical needs of Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo, who lost his thumb when the CCG rammed the Philippine boats during their confrontation. 

“But we are also looking into the possibility of charging them with the cost of restructuring the hand of Facundo. He needs to be operated on to make his entire right hand functional again,” Brawner said. 

‘More needs to be done’

After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pronounced that the “Philippines needs to do more” in addressing the increasing tension in the WPS, aside from diplomatic protests, which has been the regular move of the country every time there’s a confrontation between Philippine forces and China Coast Guard in the disputed waters. 

Brawner said the military forces will continue conducting RORE missions, particularly those critical operations for the troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre (LS57)—a Philippine Navy commissioned ship that serves as the country’s military outpost in the Ayungin Shoal. 

“We have presented to our President several options that the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be doing, not just in terms of performing our RORE operations, but including the other operations in the West Philippine Sea,” he noted. 

Brawner did not delve into the details of the military operations as it would compromise national security. 

“Of course, we cannot mention here the specifics, the actions that we will do, but we are assuring the public that the Armed Forces of the Philippines—together with the Philippine Coast Guard, with the BFAR, and the other government agencies that are involved—will be doing actions, specific actions."

Brawner said the government will also be closely engaging with the affected fishermen amid China’s assertiveness over the Philippine waters. 

“This will be a whole-of-nation approach that we are going to apply,” he stressed.