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This aerial photograph taken from a military aircraft shows the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy anchored near Ayungin shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) with Philippine soldiers on-board to secure the perimeter in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, on May 11, 2015.
AFP photo / Pool / Ritchie B. Tongo
MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) said laboratory results have confirmed the presence of cyanide in yellow bottles recently recovered from Chinese sampans operating near the BRP Sierra Madre (LS 57) at Ayungin Shoal.
In a statement on Monday, April 13, the NSC said the hazardous materials were seized by the Philippine Navy during two separate operations in February 2025 and on Oct. 24, 2025, after authorities intercepted the vessels in the immediate vicinity of the Philippine outpost.
According to the NSC, citing laboratory results from the National Bureau of Investigation's Forensic and Scientific Research Service, the bottles contain cyanide, a highly toxic chemical known for causing severe, irreversible damage to human health and devastating marine ecosystems.
“The deliberate use of cyanide raises serious concerns of illegal and destructive practices that threaten our Navy personnel in LS 57, the fragile marine environment of the West Philippine Sea, and the livelihood of Filipino fisherfolk,” the NSC said.
“Such actions, if proven intentional, constitute a blatant violation of Philippine environmental laws, international maritime norms, and the obligations of states under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” it added.
The NSC added that the use of cyanide in Ayungin Shoal represents a calculated form of sabotage by killing off local fish populations and also seeks to deprive Philippine Navy personnel of a vital food source.
It can also compromise the structural foundations of the anchored ship BRP Sierra Madre, according to the NSC.
“If the reef is severely damaged, it not only threatens LS 57's stability, it also allows Beijing to fabricate an environmental crisis which it can then blame on the Philippines,” the NSC said.
“It has in the past accused LS 57 of polluting the shoal in an effort to distract from its own illegal activities,” it added.
Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef inthe Spratly Islands, is part of the Philippines’ sovereign territory, according to the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling.
China has rejected this ruling and continues to assert its nine-dash line claim, which covers parts of the West Philippine Sea, despite the tribunal’s finding that Beijing’s claim is unlawful.
