PH Navy assures continuous resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre
Philippine News Agency
By Priam Nepomuceno
September 8, 2025, 4:03 pm
MANILA -- No Filipino soldier manning BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal will ever go hungry, a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said Monday, as he assured that rotation and resupply missions (RORE) to the area will persist despite possible Chinese harassments.
"If ever there would be more coercive and aggressive actions, we have enough contingency plans in place to be able to respond," PN spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in an interview on PTV's "Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon."
"Bottomline is, hindi pababayaan 'yung ating mga tropa na naka-deploy doon (we will not let our troops deployed there down). We will not let them go hungry. Kung ano man ang kailangan na supplies (whatever supplies they need), we will keep supporting them."
The last RORE for the BRP Sierra Madre took place in July.
Trinidad said the schedule for the next RORE mission is up to the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command.
"And (for) the next resupply, we leave it up to the level of the commander, Western Command, as he sees fit," he said.
Past RORE missions in Ayungin Shoal had been met with aggressive actions from China, including harassment, obstruction, and water cannon attacks.
BRP Sierra Madre is a World War II-era PN vessel that has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal since 1999. Manned by a small contingent of Filipino soldiers, it serves as a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the area.
The Philippines has consistently asserted its sovereign rights over Ayungin Shoal and the broader WPS, anchored on the 2016 Arbitral Award that invalidated China's sweeping nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea. (PNA)
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