PHL Navy: Repairs to ship on Ayungin Shoal for personnel safety

The repair work on the BRP Sierra Madre is for the safety of the soldiers stationed on the rusted Navy ship grounded on Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Navy said.

“BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) is a commissioned vessel with personnel on board. It behooves the Philippine Navy to ensure the ship's habitability and safety,” Navy CMO Group Commander Colonel Edgard Arevalo said in a statement issued Tuesday.

“Just as the Philippine Navy is morally and duty bound to resupply its personnel with food, water, medicines, and other basic necessities, it is incumbent upon the navy leadership to ensure that the minimum survivable condition of the ship is accorded to its personnel on board,” he added.

Arevalo noted that the ship's deteriorating condition has gained international notoriety since it was featured in a New York Times article in 2013.

“By conducting minor repairs in the vessel, the Philippine Navy merely ensures that the men the renowned media firm described as 'troops staying there struggling to survive extreme mental and physical desolation' would not be neglected,” he continued.

The BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded in 1999 to mark the country's sovereignty against other claimants of the disputed territories in the Spratly group of islands. — Andrei Medina/BM, GMA News