Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 12) — The country will resist any attempt by a foreign nation to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Saturday.
Such an attempt may already be considered as \”hostile,\” according to AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar.
\”We have rules of engagement in situations like this,\” he said.
His remarks came after China’s coast guard used a water cannon on Philippine vessels on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre – a World War II-era ship deliberately grounded in 1999 to serve as the country’s outpost in the West Philippine Sea.
\”They should not resort to actions that are hostile, that are in violation of international law, that will endanger people’s lives…All the consequences that will arise from their singular hostile act will be blamed to them and to those above them,\” Aguilar said.
READ: PH tells China to stop illegal activities in WPS after water cannon incident
University of the Philippines Director of the Institute for Maritime Law Jay Batongbacal agreed that a foreign country attempting to move the ship would count as a hostile act.
\”It is an attempt to exercise an act of coercion. That’s why it is a hostile act,\” he explained.
Batongbacal speculated that China’s latest harassment was an attempt to test the country’s new leaders, noting that Beijing also did this during the early days of past administrations.
Following the water cannon incident near Ayungin Shoal, China urged the Philippines to tow the BRP Sierra Madre away – claiming Manila had previously agreed to remove the Navy ship.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has made it clear that the BRP Sierra Madre will stay right where it is in Ayungin Shoal.
\”And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement now,\” the chief executive added.
Beijing asks for peace
Meanwhile, Beijing’s state news agency Xinhua reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has sought cooperation with Manila to effectively control the situation over the contested waters.
