By Martin Sadongdong
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has rejected Beijing’s assertion that Manila promised to remove BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, branding the claim as part of China’s long‑standing pattern of deceptive narratives in the West Philippine Sea.
AFP spokesperson retired admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the Chinese Communist Party “speaks of promises and demands but very easily forgets its own track record of deceptive narratives in our waters.”
He recalled how China once described its 1995 structures on Mischief Reef as “fishermen’s shelters,” which have since been transformed into a fortified military base with a runway, missile sites, radar domes, and naval berths.
Trinidad stressed that the grounding of BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 was a lawful sovereign act, unlike China’s island‑building on low‑tide elevations inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
He underscored that the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling invalidated China’s sweeping claims and affirmed Ayungin Shoal as part of the Philippines’ EEZ.
“No binding commitment was made to remove the BRP Sierra Madre,” Trinidad said, adding that the AFP remains firm in its mandate to protect national sovereignty, uphold international law, and maintain its presence on Ayungin Shoal.
The AFP vowed it will “never abandon BRP Sierra Madre,” positioning its continued deployment as a direct counter to China’s attempts to rewrite history and spread false narratives.
