Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19) — Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said her administration did not make any deal with China to remove the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era ship deliberately grounded in 1999 to serve as a military outpost in the West Philippine Sea, from Ayungin Shoal.
“First, I never made such a promise to China or any other country. Second, I never authorized any of my government officials to make such a promise. Third, I only became aware of such claims recently, when the matter surfaced in public discussions,” Arroyo, who was president from 2001 to 2010, said Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines, some Chinese diplomats claimed that Beijing made deals with Manila over the removal of the outpost between 1999 and 2003, years that covered the administrations of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada and Arroyo.
READ: China says no point in showing proof of Ayungin Shoal deal if Marcos already rescinded it
Estrada’s sons, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito, also denied that their father had made agreements with China to remove the Navy ship.
\”Beyond this, I will not make any further comment, in order to allow our foreign affairs officials to deal with it with a minimum of distraction,\” Arroyo added.
China reiterated its calls for the removal of the BRP Sierra Madre after its coast guard fired a water cannon at Filipino vessels on a resupply mission to the grounded ship last Aug. 5.
Beijing claims that the Ayungin Shoal or the Second Thomas Shoal, which it calls the Ren’Ai Reef, is part of its Nansha Island, otherwise known as the Spratly Islands.
However, in 2016, an arbitral tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea said Ayungin Shoal was a low-tide elevation within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). This means China has no legal basis to claim the maritime feature.
It was this landmark ruling which nullified China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
For his part, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the grounded ship will stay, and that alleged deals pertaining to its removal were “rescinded.”
