Resupply missions in West PH Sea face several challenges

CNN Philippines

The rotation and resupply mission for troops assigned in the West Philippine Sea is no easy task.  Our senior correspondent David Santos has details on the challenges that hound this mission.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Our journey begins in the sleepy fishing village south of Palawan, a 6-hour drive from Puerto

00:07 Princesa City.

00:09 This is where government ships patrolling the West Philippine Sea dock for dates.

00:14 From the Buliluyan port here in Bataraza, Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard now sailing

00:18 towards what it calls the Rendezvous Point, where it will meet up with the Philippine

00:23 Navy's supply boats.

00:25 Raw emissions have been ongoing for decades now, not only on Ayungin Shoal where a commissioned

00:30 Navy ship has been grounded to serve as an outpost, but on eight other West Philippine

00:35 Sea features as well.

00:38 One of the challenges in carrying out this mission is having to sail through very choppy

00:43 waters especially in this kind of weather condition.

00:47 Raw emissions are often delayed during the rainy season as sea conditions can be unsafe

00:52 for small vessels.

00:54 But there's a bigger challenge to hurdle having to deal with China's persistent aggression.

01:00 It's exactly 5 o'clock in the afternoon and we've been sailing for eight hours now.

01:05 According to the PCG, eight hours more before we reach Sabina Shoal.

01:10 Sabina or Escoda Shoal is about 124 nautical miles from Palawan.

01:15 This is where the flotilla will converge.

01:19 After sailing for more than half a day, Philippine Coast Guard vessels finally meeting up with

01:23 Philippine Navy chartered supply boats.

01:25 In a few hours, their destination, Ayungin Shoal.

01:30 As the day begins, so does the hostile behavior of Chinese Coast Guard ships.

01:35 For hours, they resort to shadowing and sailing dangerously close to Filipino vessels.

01:42 It's 8 o'clock in the morning.

01:44 Philippine vessels slowing down, speeding up alternately as they continue to sail to

01:49 Ayungin Shoal.

01:50 The Philippine Coast Guard has sighted at least four Chinese vessels in the horizon

01:55 as of this time.

02:00 Time check, it's past 10 in the morning and according to the PCG, the resupply mission

02:05 is now ongoing inside Ayungin Shoal.

02:07 But these two PCG escort ships are still being surrounded by a number of Chinese vessels,

02:15 including those from the Chinese Coast Guard.

02:18 The tensions died down a bit before noon, but Chinese ships still lurking from a distance

02:24 as if keeping an eye on PCG vessels.

02:27 And after hours of tense standoff, dangerous encounters and potential collisions, another

02:32 RORIM mission has been carried out.

02:35 It will likely take days, even weeks, when the two forces go through all these all over

02:41 again.

02:43 The Armed Forces and the Coast Guard will continue to do territorial patrols.

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