Chinese Amb. Huang Xilian, nakatakdang imbitahan sa Kamara;

Transcript

00:00 The Philippines will continue its resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre

00:04 despite the Chinese ships' harassment in Ayungin Shoal.

00:08 The government reiterated the Philippines' right to its territory.

00:12 Bea Bernardo with the report.

00:15 Despite the aggressive actions of China against the ships of the country in Ayungin Shoal,

00:23 the National Security Council said that the Philippines will continue its resupply mission

00:28 to BRP Sierra Madre to deliver food and supplies to their friends.

00:33 NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya insisted that the government will not let the soldiers in the region down.

00:40 There is a plan on how to deliver supplies, but Malaya refused to share it with the media.

00:46 The NSC also argued that the Philippines has the right to deliver any supplies to BRP Sierra Madre.

00:52 This can be said by China that they have prohibited the construction materials brought by the Philippine ships.

00:59 We are delivering the things that they need.

01:02 Whatever the things that we need to deliver, we are well within our rights to deliver them.

01:08 We cannot dictate what we will deliver and what we will not deliver.

01:14 Malaya also said that there is no official document to prove that the Philippines agreed to remove

01:20 BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal.

01:22 According to the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Philippines promised to remove the ship,

01:27 but the government is not doing it.

01:29 The Philippines is also fixing the ship so that it can permanently dock, which they call "reinanjiao."

01:35 Never. We will not abandon Sierra Madre. Even if we are patented every day,

01:41 BRP Sierra Madre, LS57, is a symbol of Philippine sovereignty over that area.

01:48 BRP Sierra Madre is a US Navy ship that was used during World War II.

01:53 It was intentionally docked at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to be a military post of the Philippines.

01:59 Now, it is considered the first defense of the country in the West Philippine Sea.

02:04 The Department of Foreign Affairs again insisted that Ayungin Shoal should not be stolen

02:09 because it is clear from the 2016 arbitral ruling that the so-called "bahura" is inside the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.

02:16 But China is against their position in the South China Sea.

02:20 The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry called the Hague ruling a "political drama"

02:25 where the United States is behind it.

02:29 For them, it has no visa and it is illegal.

02:32 They added that the US's move to make the arbitral ruling an issue is not affecting China.

02:39 The United States again insisted that any armed attack on Philippine ships, aircraft and armed forces,

02:46 including the Coast Guard in the South China Sea,

02:49 could be the start of a mutual defense treaty between the Philippines and the United States.

02:54 But the Department of Foreign Affairs said that it is not necessary yet.

02:59 The specific question whether it warrants the invoking of the mutual defense, I think it's a bit early.

03:06 Bea Bernardo for the Morning Show ng Bayan, Rise and Shine, Philippines.