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MANILA: The Philippines is studying the possible expansion of the coverage of the ‘provisional arrangement’ in rotation and resupply (RORE) missions in Ayungin Shoal with China to cover other areas of the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Newly-appointed National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesperson Alexander Lopez said this Tuesday following the latest incident in the WPS where two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessels were damaged after being harassed and rammed by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in the waters adjacent to Escoda Shoal early Monday.
Lopez said the arrangement has been ‘useful’ in ensuring the timely provision of supply to troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
‘Maybe that’s one area where maybe the scope of the understanding between the two countries, baka (maybe) – this has been seriously studied by our Department of Foreign Affairs – baka pwedeng ma-extend (maybe we can extend it) in other areas in our maritime domain,’ the retired Navy official said in a Palace press briefing Tues
day.
He said they will let the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) study the possible expansion of the arrangement.
The provisional arrangement was agreed by the Philippines and China last month to deescalate the situation in the South China Sea and manage differences through dialogue and consultation.
This follows a series of confrontations in Ayungin Shoal, where the grounded BRP Sierra Madre serves as the country’s outpost.
BRP Sierra Madre stays in Ayungin
Meanwhile, Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the PN is committed to ensuring the habitability of the BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) in Ayungin Shoal in the WPS.
“BRP Sierra Madre will remain, we will not give up that ship,” Trinidad said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Trinidad said they will ensure that the Philippines’ presence in Ayungin Shoal is “permanent.”
The Navy official also rejected China’s “false narratives” against the BRP Sierra Madre and its cal
l for the pullout of the troops manning the vessel.
Source: Philippines News agency
