A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel in the West Philippine Sea, May 15, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Wednesday it was prepared to face tougher challenges in future rotation and resupply (RoRe) missions to Ayungin Shoal, following the latest operation that was rescheduled after Chinese vessels aggressively approached Philippine vessels.
Three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) warships and five China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, including two Houbei-class missile boats, harassed and prevented Philippine troops from resupplying the BRP Sierra Madre on September 24.
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“Every operation, every mission has different challenges. We face the challenges head-on. We adjust, we adapt, we plan, and we’re open to this. We’re up to the challenge,” AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Retired Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad (Reserve) told reporters in a Zoom interview.
The latest incident happened much farther from Ayungin Shoal than previous encounters.
“Previously, nakakadikit tayo up to 15 nautical miles before yung presence ng CCG and the PLA Navy. This time, 60 nautical miles pa lang, kakabitaw pa lang natin sa mainland Palawan, lampas pa lang sa kalagitnaan, nakikita na ‘yung mga PLA Navy and CCG,” Trinidad said.
“They started closing in from a distance of 15 nautical miles to ten nautical miles to eight nautical miles to two nautical miles until they were less than a nautical mile from the ship,” he continued.
AFP says China ships blocked supply run for BRP Sierra Madre
According to Trinidad, the resupply vessel M/V Lapu-Lapu was also dealing with engine trouble.
The Western Command ultimately decided to reschedule the RoRe mission.
“There were reports of the engine of Lapu-Lapu not performing well. Hindi naman siya bumigay. Maalon, padikit ‘yung mga barko ng PLA-N at CCG,” he said.
“It was a judgment call of the Commander, Western Command, to reschedule the RoRe. ‘Yung scheduling nu’n is an operational matter, so we fully leave it up to them. ‘Yung kasundaluhan natin sa BRP Sierra Madre have sufficient supplies at ‘yung morale naman nila mataas naman kahit hindi pa sila agad makauwi. Sanay sila dun,” he added.
Despite the incident, the AFP said it would continue attempting to conduct the mission.
“We will keep performing our mandate, we will keep attempting, we will keep doing the RoRe. Magpapatuloy tayo diyan,” Trinidad said.
The AFP is conducting an after-action review of the incident, including an assessment of its security protocols.
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