DND exec: ‘Saboteur’ in PH resupply mission in WPS a possibility

It is possible that there is a saboteur in the Philippine resupply mission in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a National Defense (DND) official said Wednesday.

Defense Undersecretary Irineo Espino made the remark during the Senate foreign relations committee hearing when asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros if there is factual basis on reports that there are possible saboteurs or informants that operate inside the Philippines who support the ‘illegitimate’ claim of China over the WPS.

She cited the recent statement of Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela that the Chinese government appears to have advanced knowledge on the Philippines resupply mission at the Ayungin Shoal and there might be informants to China.

Responding to Hontiveros, Espino said: “That’s a possibility.”

“But, of course, we are always thinking during the loading of supplies, there are already informants in the areas where we load our supplies before the [rotation and reprovision (RORE)], before the operations is conducted. So nakakuha na po sila ng inputs at ng information,” he added.

Espino said that the presence of Chinese ships around the Ayungin Shoal can already be considered as a blockade.

“At any one time, there's a daily presence of about 80 to 200 militia ships and China Coast Guard’s presence in the area. So, even if we escort our vessels, our private vessels supplying necessary requirements of Ayungin, we could hardly counter the number of vessels from China,” he said.

“Normally, we escort one Coast Guard and one Navy ship every time we conduct the RORE, but the Chinese, they have at least three main Chinese ship(s) and plenty of Coast Guards plus the militia ships present in the area,” he added.

On former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s suggestion for the United States to escort the Philippines in its next resupply mission, Espino said it is also a “possibility.”

“We are exploring all possibilities, all options regarding RORE…of our personnel at Ayungin and as of now, we can still handle the situation,” he said.

Asked about the government’s plans on repairing the BRP Sierra Madre stationed at Ayungin Shoal, Espino asked the Senate panel for an executive session.

The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded at the Ayungin Shoal for over two decades. The ship, manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors, has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. Ayungin is located 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes part of the country’s exclusive economic zone.

China has objected to the resupply missions, saying the Philippines is "transporting construction materials" to the grounded ship "with the intent of permanently occupying" the shoal.—AOL, GMA Integrated News