President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reaffirmed that there is no agreement to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, and should there be one, he will revoke it.

“I’m not aware of any such arrangement or agreement that the Philippines will remove from its own territory its own ship, in this case, the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal,” said Marcos in a video from the Presidential Communications Office on Wednesday.

“And let me go further, if there does exist such an agreement, I rescind that agreement as of now,” Marcos added.

China wants the BRP Sierra Madre removed from Ayungin Shoal, Ph to keep decommissioned ship as permanent naval station.

The Chinese coast guard urged the Philippines on Monday to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal after it was accused of blocking and firing water cannons against a Philippine military supply vessel in the West Philippine Sea.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Manila has been charged with attempting to modify the military vessel BRP Sierra Madre in order to “permanently occupy” Ren’ai Jiao or Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

The ministry’s spokesman issued a statement claiming that “Ren’ai Jiao has always been part of China’s Nansha Qundao” and that the Philippines sent the BRP Sierra Madre in 1999 and purposely grounded it in an effort to “illegally change the status quo of Ren’ai Jiao.”

China immediately made serious démarches to the Philippines, demanding the removal of the vessel. The Philippines promised several times to tow it away, but has yet to act,” the ministry said.

In response, the National Security Council (NSC) denied that the Philippines made a commitment to remove the decommissioned ship.

“The PH has not and will never enter into any agreement abandoning its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.

Furthermore, the Department of Foreign Affairs stated that the BRP Sierra Madre is a permanent military station tasked with protecting and securing Philippine rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea.

“In response to China’s unauthorized occupation of Panganiban Reef, also known as Mischief Reef, a Philippine territory, in 1995, the Philippines decided to establish a permanent station on Ayungin Shoal in 1999,” according to Daza.

“The BRP Sierra Madre is a commissioned vessel of the Philippine Navy that serves as a permanent station for Philippine military personnel deployed to protect and secure Philippine rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in Ayungin Shoal and its vicinity,” Daza said.

The ship, which served as the USS Harnett County during World War II, was later transferred to the then-Republic of Vietnam Navy and given the name RVNS My Tho. Later, it was transferred to the Philippine Navy, where it was given the name BRP Dumagat and once more given the name BRP Sierra Madre. The ship served as a transport ship until it was decommissioned in the 1990s.

Currently manned by several Marines and Navy personnel, the BRP Sierra Madre has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty.

Photo: US Naval Institute