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The Philippine military on Tuesday said there was no stopping the government from bringing fresh supplies to troops stationed in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite the presence of Chinese vessels in “almost all” resupply missions of the Philippines at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in 2023.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Philippines had 14 rotation and resupply (Rore) missions last year to troops at the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre, which serves as Manila’s military outpost in Ayungin, an underwater feature about 195 kilometers off Palawan province.
“For the [Chinese] presence, I would say, with a certain degree of certainty, almost all—if not all—[Rore missions had] a presence of at least one [China] Coast Guard and maritime militia,” Trinidad said at a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
