The recent violent behavior of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) in Ayungin Shoal was not an armed attack but a deliberate action to stop the Philippine Navy (PN) from its regular rotation and reprovision (RORE) missions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
This was the reaction of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday when asked by the media for comment on the June 17 fracas in WPS where CCG attacked PN personnel on a mission to resupply Philippine troops in BRP Sierra Madre.
Reporters asked President Marcos if he considered CCG’s recent aggression in Philippine waters as an armed attack.
“It’s not armed. Walang pumutok. Hindi tayo tinutukan ng baril. But it was deliberate. It was a deliberate action to stop our people,” President Marcos told reporters on the sidelines of the 2024 National Employment Summit (NES) in Manila.
“They boarded a Philippine vessel, and took the equipment from that Philippine vessel. So, although there were no arms involved, nonetheless, it is still a deliberate action and it is essentially an illegal action that was taken by the Chinese forces,” the President replied.
Despite the incident, the government said it will continue its resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre unannounced.
Asked why the incident was initially considered by government as a case of misunderstanding, President Marcos explained they were still checking data on the ground when the statement came out.
He said it was only when they visited the Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Palawan last week that they discovered the incident was a deliberate action of China to stop the PN sailors from completing the RORE mission.
“Mula noong napunta ako sa WESCOM at nakausap ko si Admiral Torres, lahat ng — pati na ‘yung mga seaman, sinabi ko: Ano ba talagang nangyari? Maliwanag, hindi misunderstanding. Talagang pinuntahan tayo para hangarin ang ating resupply,” the chief executive explained.
President Marcos, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP, personally visited WESCOM where he met with its chief Rear Admiral Alfonso Torres Jr. and the PN sailors who joined in the last RORE mission.
The President’s visit aimed to boost the morale of troops and extend the government’s support for efforts to protect the country and ensure the safety of Filipinos.
He also awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Kampilan to Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo who lost a finger during the incident and the Order of Lapu-Lapu Rank of Kamagi to 79 others who joined the mission. | PND
