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Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star
April 11, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has again managed to deliver food and other supplies to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
Experiencing no interference from Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the military was also able to carry out its rotation of troops smoothly on Wednesday.
AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the latest rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the Sierra Madre was conducted on Araw ng Kagitingan.
According to him, the mission was carried out in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and concluded without any untoward incident.
“As the nation marks the 83rd Anniversary of the Day of Valor, the AFP honors the courage and dedication of our soldiers aboard BRP Sierra Madre who continue to stand guard in the West Philippine Sea to uphold our sovereignty, sovereign rights and national interest,” Trinidad said.
The AFP’s RORE missions to Ayungin Shoal have met no interference or harassment from the China Coast Guard or its maritime militia vessels since July last year.
Earlier this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs admitted that the Philippine government has entered into a “provisional understanding” with China that now allows unimpeded RORE missions to the Sierra Madre.
However, it was stressed that the deal reached through a bilateral consultative mechanism does not compromise the country’s sovereign rights in the WPS.
“We did not surrender sovereignty or sovereign rights,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview, confirming that such a deal has been forged.
Manalo said the deal simply involves both the Philippine and Chinese side informing each other that RORE missions are underway and nothing else and the agreement does not change the country’s position that the Philippines has sovereign rights over the WPS, including the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Reestablish deterrence
In Washington, an official of the US Department of Defense said the United States must reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region with combat-credible military forces, rebalance burden sharing with allies and partners and invest in the US defense industrial base to counter China’s growing threat.
John Noh, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, who testified on April 9 at a US House Armed Services Committee hearing, said China is undertaking an unprecedented military buildup, developing a large and advanced arsenal of nuclear, conventional, cyber and space capabilities.
He said China aims to dominate the Indo-Pacific region and displace the United States as the world’s most powerful nation, noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the People’s Liberation Army to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, said Indo-Pacom faces a confluence of challenges.
“Foremost among them is China’s increasingly aggressive and assertive behavior. Their unprecedented military modernization encompassing advancements in artificial intelligence, (hypersonic missiles), space-based capabilities, among others, poses a real and serious threat to our homeland, to our allies and to our partners,” Paparo said.
In 2024, the PLA demonstrated growing capabilities through persistent operations against Taiwan, escalating by 300 percent, Paparo said.
Seaside war drill
Meanwhile, in Maguindanao del Norte, Filipino and American soldiers held an amphibious sea-to-shore anti-terror assault drill and an artillery fire exercise on Wednesday, in the presence of local officials from nearby Bangsamoro towns.
The activity, something of a spectacle for residents of fishing capital Datu Blah Sinsuat touted as the most peaceful town in the province, was part of the Marine Exercise 2025 of the Philippine and United States governments.
Marine Exercise 2025, organized by the Philippine Marine Corps and its US counterpart and launched in the upland Barira town in Maguindanao del Norte almost two weeks ago, also involves the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the PCG and the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
Datu Blah Sinsuat is a bastion of the Moro National Liberation Front that forged a peace pact with the national government on Sept. 2, 1996.
Ronald Hallid Torres, chairman of the Bangsamoro Business Council, said their bloc was elated with the joint combat drills in Maguindanao del Norte, for them essential in correcting notions that the province is not peaceful.
Meanwhile, Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun yesterday said that pro-China and pro-Duterte vloggers and candidates threaten the country’s sovereignty. – Pia Lee-Brago, John Unson, Jose Rodel Clapano
