‘No untoward incidents’ in first Ayungin mission under deal with China — DFA

READ: PH, China agree on resupply mission deal to Ayungin Shoal — DFA

Metro Manila, Philippines — There were “no untoward incidents” in the Philippines’ first rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to a warship that serves as outpost in disputed waters on Saturday, July 27, the first after a new deal with China, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal came after a week the Philippines and China signed a provisional agreement on RORE missions in the disputed reef.

The precedent for that arrangement was the June 17 incident when Chinese “aggressive” actions severed the thumb of a Filipino sailor.

“The mission utilized the civilian vessel MV Lapu-Lapu, escorted by Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Cape Engaño,” the DFA said. “No untoward incidents were reported.”

“The lawful and routine RORE mission within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a credit to the professionalism of the men and women of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard, and the close coordination among the National Security Council, Department of National Defense and the Department of Foreign Affairs,” the DFA said.

The agency told reporters that there was no prior notification to China ahead of the resupply mission, which was to “provide necessary provisions to the personnel onboard the Sierra Madre.”

“[W]e were informed the Chinese Coast Guard vessels were at a reasonable distance with no risk of collision,” it added.

The Philippines and China reached an understanding “on principles and approaches for the conduct of RORE missions in Ayungin Shoal for the purpose of avoiding misunderstandings and miscalculations, without prejudice to national positions,” according to the DFA.

The Philippines conducts RORE missions in the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippines Sea to rotate personnel in the Sierra Madre, a World War 2 vintage that was deliberately run aground in the reef in 1999. It was a response to China’s reclamation of Mischief Reef, which was also within the country’s EEZ.

China rejects the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated its sweeping claims over the South China Sea.

In his third State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines cannot “yield” and “waver” as he noted efforts to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

NewsWatch Plus’ Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring and Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.