The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the provisional understanding between the Philippines and China on Ayungin Shoal has enabled 15 incident-free rotation and resupply (RORE) missions to Filipino troops aboard the BRP Sierra Madre since it took effect in July 2024.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson for maritime affairs Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said the arrangement has helped prevent confrontations during resupply operations without affecting the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
“It has worked for two years already. Since July 2024, we have had 15 incident-free RORE missions, just to show that the provisional understanding has worked,” Villanueva said during a briefing Tuesday.
The statement comes as some lawmakers have questioned whether the agreement is consistent with the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award and proposed a Senate inquiry into its provisions.
The issue also resurfaced after two Filipino troops were injured during a recent confrontation with China Coast Guard personnel near the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
China claimed its actions were prompted by alleged construction work on the grounded Philippine naval vessel, which Beijing said violated the provisional understanding.
The DFA rejected that claim, reiterating that the arrangement is only intended to reduce the risk of conflict during Philippine resupply missions.
“Yung provisional understanding is a means for conflict prevention and to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations at sea, particularly with respect to the conduct of our RORE,” Villanueva said.
“Nowhere in the provisional understanding does it require the Philippines to seek permission from China or to allow boarding and inspections of Philippine vessels. So, it also does not prohibit the Philippines to exercise any acts in relation to our exercise of our sovereign rights,” he added.
Villanueva also said the agreement remains in effect, noting that the Philippine government has not received any request from China to review or revise the arrangement.
“Up until today, this afternoon, we have not received any information or message from China—from the Chinese Embassy—that there’s an effort or intention to review the provisional understanding,” he said.
