AFP Rejects China Claim, Says BRP Sierra Madre Will Remain at Ayungin Shoal

 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has firmly dismissed Beijing’s assertion that Manila had agreed to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, emphasizing that the Philippines has no intention of abandoning the vessel or relinquishing its position in the West Philippine Sea.

AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, retired Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, challenged the credibility of the Chinese embassy’s latest statement, pointing to what he described as China’s longstanding pattern of making assurances that were later contradicted by developments on the ground.

The dispute centers on an accusation from Chinese embassy deputy spokesperson Guo Wei, who claimed that the Philippine government had previously promised to tow the BRP Sierra Madre away from Ayungin Shoal.

Trinidad rejected that narrative and instead highlighted China’s record in the disputed waters, particularly its transformation of Panganiban Reef, also known as Mischief Reef, into a major military installation.

China occupied Panganiban Reef in 1995, despite the feature being located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. At the time, Chinese authorities described the structures constructed there as temporary shelters intended for fishermen and maintained that they had no military purpose.

Three decades later, the reef bears little resemblance to those early structures.

Mischief Reef has since been developed into a massive artificial island and military complex spanning roughly 550 hectares. The facility includes a 3,000-meter runway, radar installations, missile-related infrastructure and naval berths, underscoring the scale of China’s subsequent military development in the area.

For the AFP, the contrast between China’s activities at Panganiban Reef and the Philippines’ deployment of the BRP Sierra Madre is fundamental to understanding the current dispute.

The Philippine Navy deliberately grounded the aging vessel at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 as a means of maintaining a visible Philippine presence in the area. Unlike China’s construction and militarization activities, Manila maintains that the vessel’s presence represents the exercise of Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction.

The 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague further established that Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The tribunal also rejected the legal basis of China’s expansive claims to maritime areas within the region.

The AFP therefore maintains that the BRP Sierra Madre is not simply a military vessel occupying a disputed position. Its continued presence represents the Philippines’ assertion of its maritime rights in an area where those rights have been recognized under international law.

For Manila, the issue is consequently bigger than whether a single vessel remains grounded at Ayungin Shoal. It concerns whether commitments and territorial rights should be judged by documented actions and international law rather than competing diplomatic narratives.

The AFP’s position is unequivocal: the Philippines will continue to maintain the BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal and will not abandon the vessel.