Deliberate

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro stated the incident at Ayungin Shoal was not an accident or a misunderstanding between China and the Philippines, but a deliberate act by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG). This goes against the previous statement by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. One of our soldiers was unfortunate to have one of his fingers severed in the incident when the inflatable boat of the CCG rammed and ended up on top of his boat. The CCG personnel were even caught on video brandishing bladed weapons. An AFP inflatable boat was even stabbed while communication equipment, as well as weapons, were confiscated. Anyone with eyes will view this incident as the most serious so far. The Philippines has already filed a protest, which Beijing will most likely ignore.

The Palace has announced that the rotation and resupply missions (RORE) will no longer be made public. However, since the CCG may have more modern equipment, they may still know when these RORE missions to Ayungin are conducted. The government, on the other hand, maintained that they do not need to ask permission from anyone for RORE missions. They also maintain they will never resort to violence. The first gunshot will not come from the Philippines. I just hope this does not put our soldiers in danger.

As of this writing, the “monster ship” that was spotted near Ayungin Shoal last Monday has left the waters near El Nido in Palawan and has sailed close to Panatag Shoal. I see this as a deliberate taunt and intimidation to the country after the incident at Ayungin Shoal. The country is at a disadvantage regarding ships, but RORE missions cannot be stopped as our marines stationed at BRP Sierra Madre need them. We need to assert our right to Ayungin, even as the BRP Sierra Madre is slowly disintegrating. China has long been clamoring for the removal of the decrepit ship, even lying that there was an agreement with a Philippine administration to remove it.

I do not believe China will forcefully remove the BRP Sierra Madre. But all the RORE missions that the AFP will carry out will be intimidated and threatened. According to some experts, China is waiting for the BRP Sierra Madre to collapse so that they can claim Ayungin Shoal completely. Which is why they block any efforts to repair or keep the ship intact for our marines. All the more reason the RORE missions should continue, despite the dangers from the CCG. I only wish our allies backed us up in this endeavor and not wait until our personnel are outrightly attacked.