The Armed Forces successfully delivered supplies to troops at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea about a month after Chinese ships prevented a similar mission in the disputed area.
Rear Admiral (res.) Roy Vincent Trinidad denied China’s claim that it permitted the rotation and resupply (RoRe) at Ayungin Shoal, which was conducted last Wednesday.
“It was successfully conducted and it’s not the only one successfully conducted,” Trinidad told reporters during an interview at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday.
Trinidad declined to give details of the mission, noting these are operational matters.
“We need not highlight what we have done. Rest assured we will keep performing it,” Trinidad said.
The successful mission came less than a month after the September RoRe that was “prevented” by three Chinese Navy warships and five Chinese Coast Guard vessels, including two Houbei-class missile boats.
Pressed if the Chinese interfered or obstructed the latest RoRe, Trinidad replied: “It was successfully concluded…As a routine activity, we don’t usually divulge the operational details.”
On whether there was any untoward incident reported, Trinidad said: “Again, the RoRe is a routine activity of the AFP. We will conduct it when needed, where needed.”
On the difference between the successful RoRe and last month’s unsuccessful mission, Trinidad pointed out: “Last September, it did not push through. This time, it was completed, conducted successfully.”
Trinidad also declined to answer questions regarding the sighting of Chinese vessels in the area during the RoRe, stressing that the mission was successfully conducted.
The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) claimed it permitted the RoRe. Its spokesman, Jiang Lue, said the CCG “conducted confirmation checks and maintained full supervision throughout the operation.”
Sought for a comment on Beijing’s statements, Trinidad asked: “Who believes them?”
“We should not be surprised if they will also claim Pluto. These types of narratives, consider them as inventions and they are jokes. Laugh at them,” Trinidad said.
Trinidad emphasized that RoRes are “routine missions” of the AFP, in furtherance of its mandate to uphold Philippine interests in the West Philippine Sea.
“We need not seek the clearance nor the approval of any foreign power to perform our mandate,” he also added.
Meanwhile, Trinidad said military personnel were already informed several months ago to expect increased Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea and in the country’s northern islands.
“They have already been briefed to expect an escalation as we approach 2028 and true enough, we already monitored the escalation of foreign and domestic malign influence for this year,” Trinidad said.
Trinidad noted that the military alerted its troops either in June or July.
“Likewise, there has also been an escalation of coercive and aggressive actions over the West Philippine Sea. Our troops know this. They are expecting it and they know how to act if ever it happens,” he also said.