Marcos: Incident in Ayungin ‘should not happen again’

President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. visits the 80 uniformed personnel and their families who conducted the Philippine rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to Ayungin Shoal, including Seaman First Class Jeffrey Facundo of the Philippine Navy, who lost his right thumb during a maritime clash with China last June 17 at the Western Command in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, on Sunday, June 23, 2024. KJ Rosales, PPA POOL

PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan – President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Sunday lauded the troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here in Palawan for remaining calm and professional during the heated stand-off between them and the China Coast Guard in the Ayungin Shoal last week. 

During his speech at the meet-and-greet with the Western Command personnel in Puerto Princesa, the commander-in-chief said that China’s latest maritime aggression at the resupply mission for BRP Sierra Madre “should not happen again.” 

“So, we are here once again to --- first of all, I wanted to meet --- to see [be in] touch with, the personnel who were involved, who were actually there out in the Ayungin area. At talagang nakita ninyo kayo ang nandiyan para tulungan at ipagpatuloy ang ating pag… sa ating --- sa sovereignty teritoryo ng Pilipinas,” the President said. 

(You saw it personally. You were there to help and continue defending our sovereignty which was why first of all I thank you for your service and sacrifices to defend our territorial integrity.)

“Hindi magbabago ang ating pananaw dito sa sitwasyon na ito. Hindi tayo maaring pilitin na basta pabayaan na lang na kung sino-sino ang magsasabi --- hindi na sa inyo ‘yan, amin ito. Hindi na puwedeng mangyari ‘yun,” added Marcos Jr. 

(Our perspective on this will not change. We should not let anyone tell us – this is no longer your responsibility. This is ours. It should not happen again.)

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“Hindi talaga puwedeng mangyari ‘yun, sa simulang-simula pa lang.” 

(That should not happen again. In the beginning, it should not have happened.) 

Chinese sailors rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats during the resupply mission at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal last June 17 while waving knives and even an axe. One soldier also lost a finger during the incident. 

AFP chief of staff Romeo Brawner, Jr. last week said that the China Coast Guard "hijacked" the RORE mission, which resulted in damage to their vessels, including their communication and navigation equipment. 

Photos released by the AFP showed the damage incurred by their windshield, communications and navigational equipment when they were "intentionally destroyed by the CCG." 

Their Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat was also deliberately slashed by the CCG using machetes, knives, and pikes, according to the AFP. 

But the President stressed that despite the dangerous situation, the Filipino troops remained calm, professional, and showed restraint. 

”Dahil ‘yan ang talagang pinaka-importante dito. Dahil delikado ang sitwasyon at kung isa sa inyo nagkamali, o nagalit, o uminit ang ulo na may ginawa, ay magkakagulo nang husto,” said Marcos Jr. 

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(That is the most important thing. Because the situation is dangerous – if only one of you did something wrong or got angry and did something, things will be messed up.)

“But you have not done any of that, you have remained professional. You have remained calm. You have remained mission-oriented. And for that we thank you for your service,” he said. 

The President also said since becoming the Chief Executive, he had promised and made sure that “we will do everything that we need to do to defend our territory [and] to defend our sovereignty.” 

This also includes allowing citizens to exercise their sovereign rights within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), he said, since international law had already sided with the country “on solid grounds.” 

“The international law is with us. We are on very solid international legal grounds on this. Dahil kinikilala ng buong mundo --- na kinikilala [ng] buong mundo ang ating teritoryo at ang ating EEZ --- ang ating economic zone,” he said. 

Earlier, the President awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu (Rank of Kamagi) to 80 personnel from the AFP, who are part of the most recent RORE mission to BRP Sierra Madre. 

He also awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu (Rank of Kampilan) to Seaman First Class Underwater Operator Jeffrey Facundo “for having been seriously injured” during the RORE mission. 

Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis. 

China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarized artificial islands. Chinese and Philippine vessels have had a series of confrontations in disputed areas.