"Deliberately grounded on a tiny reef in the #SouthChinaSea, part of an island chain claimed by the two Asian countries, the #BRPSierraMadre is now the unlikely base for a detachment of Filipino marines who stand guard over the atoll, scanning the turquoise waters for Chinese ships." #AyunginShoal#SecondThomasShoal#Philippines
"#MANILA, #Philippines — Senators condemned on Sunday the Chinese Coast Guard’s (#CCG) harassment against the Philippine Coast Guard (#PCG) and military supply ship bound for #AyunginShoal.
In separate statements, senators aired their frustration on CCG’s use of water cannon against PCG vessels delivering supplies to military troops stationed on #BRPSierraMadre in Ayungin Shoal." #SouthChinaSea
"If #China succeeds in enforcing its nine-dash line claim using its new coast guard law, and if #Russia succeeds in keeping Ukrainian territory that it has invaded, then both China and Russia would be overturning and negating the foundational principle of the #UNCharter." #SouthChinaSea#PagasaIsland#AyunginShoal
"The structures, according to the senator, could serve as permanent lodging for soldiers stationed at the rusty #BRPSierraMadre, a warship intentionally grounded in the shoal in 1999 as a Philippine military outpost and now at the center of fresh tensions between #Manila and #Beijing." #Ayungin#AyunginShoal#Philippines#WestPHSea
"The planned exercise set for Wednesday comes amid mounting tensions between #China and the #Philippines after a Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a Philippine military-chartered boat near the #Manila-controlled #SecondThomasShoal in the #SouthChinaSea earlier this month." #AyunginShoal
“Notwithstanding attempts by #ChinaCoastGuard and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels to block, harass, and interfere with the supply mission, the Philippine supply ships … successfully completed their supply mission,” the task force added. #AyunginShoal#BRPSierraMadre#Philippines
The task force said Unaizah May 1 and Unaizah May 2 were escorted by #PCG vessels #BRPCabra and #BRPSindagan during the mission, while Philippine Navy ships were also on standby.
"On August 22, two #PCG ships escorted boats commissioned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (#AFP) to bring supplies to #Philippine Marines stationed at the #BRPSierraMadre, a grounded ship that serves as the Philippine outpost in those waters. It was the #Philippines’ second resupply mission in August, after a routine mission on August 5 was partially stopped by #China." #AyunginShoal
The Philippine military said the Saturday morning confrontation lasted for nearly an hour and took place as it sought to resupply a small garrison of sailors on board the sunken #BRPSierraMadre off #SecondThomasShoal. #AyunginShoal#WestPHSea
Teodoro made the statement a day after the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in Manila claimed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (#Wescom), supposedly with the approval of the Philippine defense chief himself, had agreed on a “new model” in relation to #AyunginShoal (#SecondThomasShoal) earlier this year. #Philippines#WestPHSea
"Kung meron talaga silang recording at kung meron talaga silang transcript, they should at the least make it available to the government — to the Executive, dahil seryosong claim na naman nila yan ng isang new model,” said Hontiveros in a press conference, pertaining to #China. #PHSenate#RisaHontiveros#WestPHSea#WESCOM#AyunginShoal
#MANILA, #Philippines — Finally breaking its silence, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned the public against “falling for false narratives” after #China’s threat to release an #AudioRecording supposedly proving that a high-ranking Filipino army official agreed on a “new model” in #AyunginShoal. #WestPHSea