RESUPPLY MISSION. The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard resupplied the personnel manning the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal with essential supplies on Thursday (Sept. 26, 2024). The last resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre was on July 27, more than a month after the violent June 17 incident where the China Coast Guard blocked and boarded Filipino vessels on a mission to provide supply there. (Screengrab from AFP video)
MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have completed the resupply for the contingent aboard the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) stationed in Ayungin Shoal on Sept. 26, or two months after the last mission.
A video clip provided by the AFP shows a civilian vessel, the M/V Lapu-Lapu, approaching the BRP Sierra Madre.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said on Friday said the military delivered "essential supplies" and was able to "complete the mission."
"We confirm the presence of Chinese vessels in the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal during our execution of (the) mission. Up to eight different Chinese vessels were monitored in the vicinity but posed no threat to our mission and our personnel were able to complete the mission and sustain our presence in the shoal," Padilla told the Philippine News Agency.
In a statement Friday, AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the military would continue to support troops stationed there.
The last resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre was on July 27, more than a month after the violent June 17 incident where the China Coast Guard blocked and boarded Filipino vessels on a mission to provide supply there.
A Filipino sailor lost part of his thumb in that incident when Chinese forces pointed weapons against the troops involved in the mission. (PNA)
