The Department of Foreign Affairs unequivocally affirmed Thursday that the Philippines needs no permission from China to sail the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea and resupply Filipino troops there, asserting that the 2024 pact reached with Beijing should not be mistaken for approval. 

The statement came after China accused the Philippines of violating the provisional arrangement that Manila and Beijing forged in July 2024 by undertaking construction activities in the BRP Sierra Madre, a grounded Navy ship serving as a Philippine military outpost stationed at Ayungin Shoal. 

While the deal involves governing routine rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to BRP Sierra Madre to de-escalate tensions between the two regions, the DFA emphasized that it is “not a grant of or a request for permission to any foreign government [and] it does not recognize any foreign jurisdiction over Philippine waters.” 

“[T]he provisional understanding does not require the Philippines to seek permission to undertake RORE missions, nor does it allow boarding and inspection of Philippine vessels, and, above all, it does not concede the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the DFA asserted. 

The department noted that there have been multiple attempts to mischaracterize the nature of Ayungin Shoal, but the Philippines remains unwavering in affirming that Ayungin Shoal forms part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral ruling.

“Ayungin generates no maritime entitlement of its own and cannot be claimed by any other state. The Philippines alone holds the sovereign right to authorize any structure there, and Philippine vessels do not require permission to sail to Ayungin,” the statement further reads.

Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan was summoned by President Marcos Jr. on Tuesday following the violent confrontation involving the Chinese Coast Guard at Ayungin Shoal that left one Philippine Navy personnel suffering a serious injury after being struck on the head by a wooden baton.

Beijing has claimed that the provisional understanding bars Manila from undertaking repairs and reconstruction of the grounded warship, and that the recent activity, which led to the heated encounter, breached the deal.

The DFA, however, countered that the agreement does not diminish the Philippines’ sovereign position in the disputed waters, and RORE missions will continue “for as long as necessary in line with the national interest.”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines reported that the CCG acted violently when Philippine Navy rubber boats attempted to drive away Chinese vessels operating unlawfully close to the BRP Sierra Madre. During the confrontation, Chinese personnel also punctured and damaged Philippine inflatable boats. 

China, on the other hand, accused the Philippines of initiating the scuffle by deliberately ignoring warnings from Beijing troops, rapidly encircling, and ramming Chinese patrol boats.

Although the Philippines and China have kept their friendly ties, the two nations have also long been embroiled in a longstanding maritime row over Beijing’s sweeping claims in almost the entire South China Sea, including areas that overlap with the WPS.

China has never honored the 2016 arbitral award that favored the Philippines and invalidated Beijing’s territorial claims in the WPS, calling it “a worthless piece of paper that is illegal, null and void, and has no binding force.”