MANILA — The government of the Philippines was not looking for armed aggression during the latest incident on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the spokesperson of the National Task Force-WPS.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the mission of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the resupply mission was to provide supply to the troops aboard the BRP Sierra Madre and to ferry the personnel for rotation.
While the intention of People’s Republic of China, he surmised, was to prevent the resupply operation from being successful, he added.
The PCG official was referring to the June 17 incident which saw China Coast Guard (CCG) officers using tear gas, brandishing bladed weapons, tugging at and damaging the Philippine Navy’s rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), and throwing rocks at soldiers moored beside the BRP Sierra Madre.
“Walang intensiyon ang kahit na sino mang bansa na magkaroon ng malawakang armed aggression sa insidente na ‘to,” Tarriela said in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday.
Tarriela said he was not representing the PCG as a spokesperson but was tasked by the Chairman of the National Task Force-WPS to give clarification on the last briefing conducted on Friday.
The National Maritime Council (NMC) on Friday announced that among its policy recommendations to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is the announcement of the rotation and reprovision (RORE) missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, which shall remain routinary and will be scheduled regularly.
The NMC convened for the second time on Friday in accordance with the mandates specified in Executive Order No. 57, series of 2024, signed by President Marcos last March 2024 and in light of the recent developments in West Philippine Sea.
During the press briefing after the meeting, the Philippine government expressed its steadfast commitment to promoting the national interests of our maritime and archipelagic country. (PND)
