MAY mensahe ang Armed Forces of the Philippines sa Chinese Coast Guard (CCG): Ito ay hayaang makadaan ang mga barko ng Pilipinas na magdadala ng suplay sa mga sundalong naka-istasyon sa BRP Sierra Made sa Ayungin Shoal.

Sinabi ni Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesman ng AFP, na isang resupply mission ang pinaplano upang dalhin ang mga pangangailangan ng mga sundalo.

“Let me add also that we have special message to the China Coastguard for them to behave. They should not do any action that will endanger people’s lives. For all the consequences that the singular acts will cause, the blame will be on them and on the authorities above them, so they should behave,” sabi ni Aguilar. “They should not interfere with our re-mission.”

Binigyan-diin ni Aguilar ang kahalagahan na mapanatili ang presenya ng mga Pilipino sa Ayungin Shoal na bahagi ng teritoryo ng Pilipinas na inaangking ng China.

“As we continue to pursue this humanitarian undertaking and defend our rights [in] our maritime shoals, we also affirmed our support for the peaceful settlement of disputes,” sabi pa ni Medel.

“We call on all relevant parties to abide by (their) obligations under international law and respect the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime source,” dagdag pa ng opisyal.

Ginamitan ng water canon ng CCG ang sasakyang pangdagat ng Pilipinas na magdadala sana ng suplay sa BRP Sierra Madre noong Agosto 5.