PH military mulls ‘facelift’ for grounded ship in Ayungin Shoal

ARMED Forces of the Philippines chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, is considering giving the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal a facelift as part of efforts to improve the living conditions of soldiers who have been protecting the country's territory amid Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“We have the right to repair our (BRP Sierra Madre) vessel” and “make sure it is habitable for our soldiers,” said Brawner.

The Ayungin Shoal, however, is only one of nine islands where Philippine structures have been put up. The other eight are: the Islands of Parola, Pagasa, Kota, Panata, Likas, Law, and Patag, and Rizal reef.

A dilapidated Philippine Navy ship LT 57 (Sierra Madre) with Philippine troops deployed on board is anchored off Second Thomas Shoal, locally known as Ayungin Shoal, on March 30, 2014, in the South China Sea. Chinese coast guard ships blocked and used water cannons on two Philippine supply boats heading to a disputed shoal occupied by Filipino marines in the South China Sea, provoking an angry protest against China and a warning from the Philippine government that its vessels are covered under a mutual defense treaty with the U.S., Manila’s top diplomat said Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, File)

He cited the need to “maintain, sustain and fortify the Philippine military's presence in the hotly-contested waters.”

Brawner, however, refused to provide details of the timeline except that the AFP is duty-bound to fulfill its mandate to ensure the well-being of soldiers.

“In case we bring construction materials intended for BRP Sierra Madre, they have no right to question it. It's not their business. First, I've said that the Philippine ship we're going to is within our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” Brawner said.

“So we have all the right to perform our resupply mission, we have all the right to protect our EEZ and we have all the right to make sure our soldiers are safe in BRP Sierra Madre,” he said.

Brawner said they would commission civilian boats to carry various materials, but the frequency of the journey remained uncertain.

“The best thing to do is the use of civilian boats to avoid provocation, the same tactic utilized in the resupply mission successfully done last week,” he said.

He also proposed the use of gray ships to deliver vital cargoes to Ayungin Shoal, primarily to prolong the life of the dilapidated ship but said it was an alternative to prevent another altercation with Chinese elements in the area.