BRP Sierra Madre is deteriorating fast

The BRP Sierra Madre, the old and decrepit ship that was deliberately run aground in Ayungin Shoal to serve as an outpost for soldiers guarding our territory, is deteriorating fast. It needs to be repaired so it doesn't break apart. Beijing recently said the Philippines promised to remove the ship. However, the government has stated they know of no agreement by any administration to remove the BRP Sierra Madre. There were calls to investigate if any promise was made by past administrations, but so far, I have not heard anything regarding that call.

The ship has been in Ayungin Shoal for more than thirty years, so it is not surprising that the condition is deteriorating. Our soldiers stationed there are truly made of something else. Sleeping on a rusty ship that at any moment could collapse, fighting boredom and loneliness. Thank goodness we live in an era where communication is much easier to achieve. The AFP has not announced plans to repair or even build a much better outpost at Ayungin. Chinese ships will surely block any plans to repair the ship. The AFP is already encountering difficulties bringing supplies to the Sierra Madre because of harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia.

Last Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was able to record Chinese inflatable boats installing a floating barrier southeast of Scarborough or Panatag Shoal. The floating barrier was 300 meters long. This was to block the entry of Philippine fishing boats. President Marcos Jr. has ordered the PCG to remove the barriers. Aside from blocking our fishermen, it posed a hazard to navigation. A spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry had the gall to accuse the Philippines of intruding on Panatag Shoal “without their permission.”

There is a call by the PCG to the legislators to pass laws that the country can use to assert our exclusive right to the West Philippine Sea. But we know there are legislators who seem to favor China more and even become hindrances to what we want to do, such as elevating a complaint to the UN. According to Dr. Chester Cabalza of the International Development and Security Cooperation, laws like that will be hard to pass if there are still "Chinese apologists" among the lawmakers. Thanks to the previous administration, China has strengthened its influence in the country.

The installation of floating barriers to prevent Philippine vessels from entering Panatag Shoal is unacceptable behavior in the West Philippine Sea and should be addressed immediately. An unfortunate event might arise from such actions. We are already at the receiving end of China’s harassment and preventing our vessels and, more importantly, our fishermen from making a living is too much.