The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Friday announced the successful delivery of essential goods to the troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre in the disputed Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
In a video shared by the AFP, the military-chartered M/V Lapu-Lapu carrying the supplies is seen approaching the Sierra Madre. The rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission was conducted by the AFP in collaboration with the Philippine Coast Guard on 26 September.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said there were Chinese vessels present while the military was conducting the RoRe operation.
“The AFP was able to deliver essential supplies to our troops and completed the mission. We confirm the presence of Chinese vessels in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal during our execution of the mission,” Padilla told reporters in a Viber message.
“Up to eight different Chinese vessels were monitored in the vicinity, but posed no threat to our mission and our personnel were able to complete the mission and sustain our presence in the shoal,” Padilla added.