Resupply mission boats, crew safely back in Puerto Princesa – WESCOM

From Palawan News (Aug 24, 2023): Resupply mission boats, crew safely back in Puerto Princesa – WESCOM (By Gerald Ticke)

Western Command Chief, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, and Naval Forces West Commander, Commodore Alan Javier, welcome the safe return of supply boats Unaizah Mae 1 and Unaizah Mae 2, along with their crew, to Puerto Princesa on August 23.

The two civilian boats commissioned by the military is back in Puerto Princesa City on Wednesday, after once again sailing to conduct a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea last Monday.

The two vessels, Unaizah Mae 1 and Unaizah Mae 2, were back on their mission 16 days after they had also sailed to Ayungin Shoal on August 5 to deliver supplies but were nearly rammed and sprayed with water cannons by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships and militia vessels. Only one of them managed to reach BRP Sierra Madre to deliver supplies sufficient for two weeks for the stationed troops on the ship.

En route to Ayungin Shoal on August 22, however, China’s coast guard ships and militia vessels again tried to block them. However, this time, the two boats successfully reached their destination, as stated earlier by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea and the National Security Council.

Western Command Chief, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos, who welcomed the troops back, said that the crew members of the supply boats are happy to have accomplished the RORE mission despite still experiencing blocking attempts such as risky maneuvers.

“Everybody is high morale, especially yung mga galing sa outpost na finally nakauwi, including yung crew ng barko are safely back, lahat sila nakapasok for the resupply,” Carlos said.

“We received reports that there were dangerous maneuvers by the CCG and militia. We will still do a debriefing before we come out with details. They keep doing that, not following the rules of UNCLOS, like crossing bows dangerously close,” he said.

The highest-ranking military official in Palawan also restated the government’s strong commitment to upholding a presence in the region and will persist in conducting regular RORE missions in Ayungin Shoal and other areas in the West Philippine Sea that are under Philippine occupation.

“Nasabi na rin sa statement that it is the exercise of our jurisdiction in that area, which is part of our EEZ, under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the arbitral ruling,” he stated.

“Our presence in Ayungin and the resupply missions are part of our demonstration of our strong resolve to assert our sovereignty, including administrative functions,” he added.

Furthermore, he stated that the maintenance of BRP Sierra Madre is “a continuing activity,” as the ship is still considered a commissioned vessel of the AFP.

“As part of the commission, we always maintain and refurbish it to keep it safe for our troops to stay there,” he said.

https://palawan-news.com/resupply-mission-boats-crew-safely-back-in-puerto-princesa-wescom/