Instead Of Leaving Ayungin's Beting, The Philippines Plans To Repair The BRP Sierra Madre Warship

JAKARTA - The Philippines is considering several options to strengthen its position in the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, including reversing non-functional and mandated warships it uses as military posts, instead of leaving the region as China wants.

"All measures to extend our stay there are being considered... one of them is improvement," said Rear Admiral Alberto Carlos, head of the Philippine Western Command, in a joint press conference with Military Commander General Romeo Brawner Jr., reported Reuters on August 11.

The ship in question was BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing vessel, which was deliberately buried by the Philippines in 1999, as part of its claim of sovereignty over Second Thomas Shoal, which is located within its exclusive economic zone, and rotates a number of troops on the ship.

China previously urged the Philippines to fulfill the "promise" to withdraw the inflated ship, while Manila denied having reached any agreement to leave the area called Beting Ayungin.

"I am not aware of such arrangements or agreements, that the Philippines will remove its ships from its own territory," said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a video statement.

"And let me go further, if there is such an agreement, I will cancel the agreement now," said President Marcos Jr.

The Philippines' current priority is to continue its rotation and mission of recharging its troops on the atoll, which will most likely take place in two weeks, Rear Admiral Carlos said.

"This is our prayer that there will be no incidents of water cannons, there will be no less aggressive reception from other parties, especially due to international attention caused by this incident," he said.

Incidents involving Chinese and Philippine ships in the region have occurred several times. Most recently, an incident occurred when a Chinese coast guard ship intercepted a Philippine supply ship last August 5.

The Philippines won an international arbitration ruling in 2016 against China's claim to sovereignty of the South China Sea after a court ruled Beijing's broad claim had no legal basis, including in the Second Thomas Shoal.

Meanwhile, China, which does not recognize the decision, has built militarized artificial islands in the South China Sea and its historic sovereignty claims overlap with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei EEZs.