Resupply trip to Ayungin proceeds unhampered

MANILA, Philippines —  Resupply trip to Ayungin proceeds unhampered As Chinese ships watched from a distance, Philippine vessels completed a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on Tuesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.

In a statement yesterday, the AFP said pursuing the RORE mission was part of its “resolute commitment to maintaining its presence and operational readiness in the WPS.”

The rusting Sierra Madre, a World War II-era US Navy transport ship, has been serving as an outpost for a handful of Filipino soldiers since being deliberately beached in the late 1990s.

“This RORE was executed in close coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and was completed with no untoward incident,” the AFP said.

“The completion of this mission reaffirms the AFP’s commitment not only to supporting our defenders in the WPS, but more importantly to upholding the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights – not only for today’s generation but for those to come,” the AFP declared.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, AFP public affairs office chief, said Chinese ships were tracking and monitoring the small group of Philippine vessels on their way to Ayungin Shoal.

“Despite the presence of these foreign vessels, the entire operation was completed without confrontation or untoward incident,” he pointed out.

Tuesday’s RORE mission to Ayungin Shoal was the fifth to be carried out and completed unmolested since July last year.

At Malacañang, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the decision of the Trump administration to pause its military aid to Ukraine underscores the need for the Philippines to beef up its defense capabilities and continue modernizing its military with or without the support of its allies, including the US.

“Whether we have allies or not, we also need to prepare ourselves,” Castro said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

“We really need the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) modernization so that we don’t have to rely too much on our allies,” she said.

Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a recent meeting at the White House, heightening fears he intends to force Kyiv into a peace deal that favors Russia.

Earlier, Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said the Trump administration intends to keep its defense agreement with the Philippines.

“I think all of that will remain, I am confident that it will,” Romualdez told foreign journalists in Manila.

The AFP’s Revised Modernization Program, covering three phases, is projected to be completed in 2028.

The third phase or Horizon 3 is focused on improving the military’s archipelagic defense capabilities, according to AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Horizon 1 was implemented from 2013 to 2017, and Horizon 2 from 2018 to 2022.

Malacañang earlier expressed elation over Washington’s decision to exempt a portion of its military aid to Manila from the Trump administration’s current foreign aid freeze policy.

According to earlier reports, $336 million for the modernization of the Philippines’ security forces was among the items exempted from the aid freeze.