Brawner: Phl has right to repair BRP Sierra Madre, China can’t tell us otherwise

The Philippines has the right to repair its commissioned navy warship, BRP Sierra Madre grounded in Ayungin in the West Philippine Sea and China cannot tell no, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Wednesday.

In an interview during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Brawner stressed that the Philippines has the sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the waters around Ayungin shoal and so the repair of BRP Sierra Madre must be fitting.

"I really believe that we have the right to repair the ship because that is a Philippine-commissioned Navy ship. Kahit andoon siya sa Ayungin Shoal, karapatan natin na ayusin (Even if it was stuck in Ayungin Shoal, it's our right to repair that)," he said.

Brawner lamented that the Philippines did not even bother China when it had gone as far as installing a missile system and even building artificial islands in the WPS.

"So, for me, China has no right to tell us not to repair that while they themselves have created these artificial islands," he said.

Brawner criticized China's audacity to block the Philippines' legitimate actions in its territorial waters in WPS.

"Hindi naman tayo nakialam. Hindi naman natin sinabi, 'Don't do that.' Hindi naman natin sinabi, 'Don't bring missile systems into these artificial islands.' Sila ngayon kinalampag. Napakalaking imbalance (We did not interfere. We didn't say 'don't do that'. We didn't tell them 'don't bring missile systems into these artificial islands'. Now they're being shaken. A huge imbalance)," he said.

The AFP chief believes that China is persistent in harassing and blocking the country's rotation and resupply mission in the BRP Sierra Madre because it wants to insist their claims over Ayungin Shoal, which was invalidated by the Arbitral Tribunal ruling of the Hague-based Court on 12 July 2016.

China has repeatedly ignored the ruling as it constantly insists that Ren'ai Jiao (Ayungin shoal) is part of China's Nansha Qundao and is under China's territory.

The National Security Council spokesperson Jonathan Malaya has also noted that China "has no legal authority or basis" to enforce anything in Ayungin Shoal because it is constituted "well within" the Philippines' 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

The shoal is located 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan.