"The #Philippines is exploring aerial supply missions to Filipino troops at #AyunginShoal in the West Philippine Sea, a top security official said on Tuesday. National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said there will be adjustments to the government's resupply efforts to troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded warship that serves as the country's outpost in the West Philippine Sea"
"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