By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
Filipino military personnel manning the nine features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) are safe despite bad weather caused by the enhanced southwest monsoon, a ranking naval official said Tuesday.
“In our latest communication with our troops, including [those in] our nine features, they are fine,” Philippine Navy Spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a media briefing.
“The sea has been rough, the winds have been above normal, but the overall condition of the troops, to include those on BRP Sierra Madre [in Ayungin Shoal], they are safe and they are secure.”
The soldiers, Trinidad said, have enough supplies until the next rotation and resupply (RORE) mission.
“Yes, the last [RORE] for BRP Sierra Madre was 20 June. The supplies are designed to last more than the next RORE that is scheduled. This will also cover the other eight features. The military always has more than enough supplies for the projected rotation or next rotation missions,” he said.
The Philippine-held features in the WPS are Kota, Lawak, Likas, Pag-asa, Panata, Parola and Patag Islands; Rizal Reef; and Ayungin Shoal.
When asked if the inclement weather affected the presence of Chinese vessels in the area, Trinidad said they are still waiting for the latest reports “because after the past few days even our monitoring of them has been limited because of the weather disturbance.”
Trinidad, however, noted that the number of Chinese vessels in the area usually decreases during periods of bad weather.
“So we expect for this particular timeframe, the number of PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy ships, Coast Guard and even the maritime militia would be lesser than [in] the last report,” he said. (PNA)
