On RoRe missions: Manila not seeking Beijing’s permission

China was not telling the truth when its foreign ministry claimed the Philippines sought permission to conduct a resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed at the Ayungin Shoal on 27 July, National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said Sunday.

The task force also belied China’s claims that it boarded Philippine vessels and inspected the supplies brought by the Philippine military.

“To clarify, the Philippines did not and will never seek permission from the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) to conduct resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal. There was also no boarding and inspection by the Chinese Coast Guard as claimed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in its statement yesterday,” it emphasized.

The NTF-WPS said the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command, with the support of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), “successfully carried out” a rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre (LS 57) in Ayungin Shoal “inside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.”

The AFP utilized a civilian vessel — ML Lapu- Lapu, which was escorted by the PCG’s BRP Cape Engaño (MRRV-4411) vessel.

Provisional understanding

The NTF-WPS said the Philippines agreed to the “provisional understanding” with China over the resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal “for the simple reason of de-escalating tensions and preventing misunderstanding and miscalculations at sea.”

However, it insisted that the “understanding explicitly does not prejudice the national position of the Philippines.”

“The guidance of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is clear: The Philippines is committed to the cause of peace but we will not be deterred nor will we yield. We are, nonetheless, committed to addressing and managing difficult issues through dialogue and diplomacy,” the task force further stressed.

The Philippines confirmed the presence of four Chinese Coast Guard vessels, three People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels, and two Chinese Maritime Militia vessels surrounding the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin shoal when the RoRe operation was conducted — a significant contrast to missions in past months.

“During the entire duration of the mission, the Chinese vessels maintained their distance and did not undertake any action to disrupt the RoRe,” the task force said.

It was the first RoRe operation at the shoal after the Philippines and China concluded their ninth Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea in Manila on 2 July.